Welcome
Welcome to Realm Partners. Since 2000 we’ve supported many clients through their challenges and guided many to achieve their strategic objectives. We work primarily as supporters of the NHS and have done so through some of the most challenging transitions of the past two decades. To find out more about our work and services please read on; alternatively, if you would prefer to speak with us do not hesitate to get in touch.
Working with Us
Working with us couldn't be simpler and we are more than happy to discuss your needs and the options availble to engage with us. We offer a range of commercial approaches from day rate models through to fully managed services. We are happy to bid in any procurement process you may wish to run or if you would like to utilise a framework we can be procured from G-Cloud if your requirements are cloud based. We believe our rates are extremely competitive and in supporting our customers who wish to engage for longer periods by providing a range of additional benefits and discounts.
Our Approach
Our approach has always been centred around collaboration with our partners and integration within their existing governance structures. We don't believe that the best outcomes are derived from external organisations mandating activities or change. We work within your teams to help develop their skills and knowledge and ensure that our activities deliver the outcomes that you want - not the outcome we want to give you.
We normally provide support as part of our managed services, which we believe are unique in the marketplace, giving us the opportunity to deliver support without fear of being "on the clock".
This approach means our clients are free to access our advice, support, and skills when it suits and on any subject or project, and without fear of increasing fees. In this way we put people first and allow our clients the freedom to discuss a wide range of goals, challenges, and solutions from all different areas of their organisations. We see this as the cornerstone of our business because to solve large scale, strategic challenges and to meet ambitious goals our clients must focus on a bigger picture. By removing the financial and commercial barriers often imposed by traditional consultancy Realm Partners are able to focus on working with for our clients' needs first.
Working In Stages
Realm Partners believe that digital transformation in the NHS is not one single service or solution but lots of different services implemented specifically for each individual organisation. Every NHS organisation is different and will be face different challenges, starting from different places, and be aiming for different outcomes. After many years of working in the NHS, Realm Partners believe that there are five fundamental stages to successful digital transformation.
Generally, organisations seeking our help need to start at stage one and progress through to stage five. It is possible, in our experience, for more advanced organisations to enter into the process at stage three but in any case, all organisations should move through the stages in order. Missing any of these stages can ultimately disrupt the transformation process and impact the delivery of desired outcomes and benefits.
See our stages to successful transformation below.
Stage One - Investigate & Understand
The first stage in digital transformation is to understand what services, contracts, obligations and timescales are already in place. This is vital information that will allow us to transform legacy solutions into the latest products and services. This period of investigation will allow organisations to understand their “as-is” position, which is vital for defining desired future outcomes and understanding the gap between “as-is” and “to-be”.
Stage Two - Stabilise & Support
In this stage, an NHS organisation has gained an understanding of its current operational, financial, and commercial positions. The organisation will have developed a baseline set of documents and processes that can now be used to begin actioning change. The first step of making this change is to ensure the safety and stability of current services for users and ultimately patients. In this stage support of the current infrastructure and contracts is undertaken, fixing performance issues and commercial and financial irregularities. This may include extending contracts and preparing solutions for migration in the near future. This stage is fundamentally reactive and revolves around helping organisations fix issues as they arise and are found. The aim is to move organisations to a point where they are working proactively, which takes place from stage three.
Stage Three - Planning & Strategy
It is possible that many NHS organisations can enter into our services at this stage without completing stages one and two if they have a well-managed IT, commercial and procurement environment. Many organisations are in a place where they simply have legacy solutions that must be transitioned in the coming years but have no performance, commercial or financial issues. In this stage an organisation can begin taking the information it has collated in stages one and two (or which it already possessed) and begin to plan, strategise, and prioritise activities for transformation. It is vital that this planning is undertaken based on a stable and known environment. To begin making changes to infrastructure and services without the information obtained in stages one and two it is possible that transformation will fail or not meet the desired outcomes.
Stage Four - Transformation
This is the stage that actually procures and implements new services and solutions giving an organisation the tools to transform; however, it can be started without adequate preparation. Political pressure or limited time funding forces NHS organisations to reactively procure solutions that they are not ready to implement. This results in expensive purchases that do not fully deliver the desired outcomes. Only once a full digital transformation strategy has been defined and the requisite board buy-in has been achieved should NHS organisations be moving to make long term strategic transformations. This stage is categorised by the implementation of the planning and strategies undertaken and defined in stage three. This includes procurement and implementation of new solutions as well as aligning legacy processes to the new strategic baseline.
Stage Five - Continual Improvement
All solutions and products currently in place in an organisation were once cutting edge. Many solutions only continue to deliver benefits if actively managed. Transformation does not stop with the finalisation of a large procurement or go-live at the end of implementation. It is a continually evolving process of review, assessment, and planning that drives continual change and improvement throughout an organisation.
As contracts come to an end many organisations delay making key decisions about service replacement, by which time it is too late to work proactively. Continual improvement is about making the most of solutions you already have as well as ensuring you have a solid foundation for the next generation of services.
Our Services
Stage One
Investigate & Understand
Review and audit of existing I.T. contracts
Review of I.T. order processing e.g. scheme of delegations, SFIs
Development of contracts registers and central document management function
Commercial management, administration, engagement and reporting with provider partners and internal functions
Review of existing procurement processes
Gap analysis against standard NHS procurement processes and frameworks
Stage Two
Stabilise and Support
Provision of centralised document management services
Provision of Project Management Office functions
Support to existing teams with In Flight Procurement
Dispute resolution, Arbitration and pre-legal support services
Stage Three
Planning & Strategy
Commercial Strategy Planning and Business Analysis
Defining Digital, I.T and Cloud Strategies
Production of NHS Benefits Realisation Plans
Production and Support for business case development and the approval process for IT solutions.
Procurement Development and Planning
Management guidance, administration, and support for new procurements
Assisting I.T with pre-market engagement and supplier selection to support to support the centralisation and management of I.T services
Stage Four
Transformation
Working with the Organisations’ external parties e.g. STP and ICS, as well as other NHS organisations to assist in the delivery national and regional goals.
Procurement of all corporate and clinical IT services – focusing on the successful migration of services and systems and alignment to strategic direction
Assistance with business process change activities
Commercial management and negotiation
Alignment of Organisation and new suppliers overall strategic direction
Stage Five
On-going contract and commercial management services
Development of contract and commercial roadmaps
Continual Improvement
Get In Touch...
We would love to hear from you and if you have any questions at all about our services or approach do not hesitate to get in touch and we will get back to you shortly.