This week marks the end of my time at NHSX after an intense but meaningful 5 months supporting the fight against COVID-19. I believe we grow when we were challenged, there were 3 standout moments
It would be amiss not to mention the people I’ve worked with at NHSX. They have shown exceptional displays of resilience, intelligence, humility and determination to deliver with user-centred design principles.
When I joined in February, all those MANY months ago, it was a very different world. We were working on spend controls and assurance which doesn’t sound very gripping but we were making some great progress. When the news that COVID-19 had arrived in the UK, I was swiftly repositioned to help with Emergency Volunteering which was part of the response effort to COVID-19. After this, I led a rapid discovery on interoperability and standards in adult social care.
We setup a new digital service within 10 days
I don’t have user-centred design bucket list, but if I did, this would be at the top of the list. This was an opportunity to say and deliver a minimal viable product, without fear of failure.
As part of the Coronavirus Bill, the Emergency Volunteering service would help volunteers with specialist skills in health and social care to leave full time work so they could volunteer in their local care home.
Working with a UX designer, service designer and user research we collectively mapped out user journeys, wrote the content, setup a clickable prototype and lined up users for research. We all stayed on a Hangouts link every day, working independently on mute and unmuting for quick questions or screen-sharing. The sense of camaraderie and collaboration felt real. It was awesome.
We worked in agile sprints, where we actually worked agile. We did daily show and tells even if we didn’t think there was anything to show, we heard new developments in policy while sense-checking new parts of the service. We merged Microsoft Teams with Slack for shared collaboration and shared drives were enabled to manage working assets.
We had an MVP ready to go, it wouldn’t have been perfect but it would have allowed us to get something out there. Something we can build upon and grow with data.
I realised that time and fear are the enemies of innovation… so are 3-month long discoveries. Launching early, failing fast and learning from data will and should conquer all other methodologies.
This approach completely embodies the growth mindset:
“The passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it, even (or especially) when it’s not going well, is the hallmark of the growth mindset. This is the mindset that allows people to thrive during some of the most challenging times in their lives.” Carol S.Dweck, Mindset
Being certain on user-centred design, when all is uncertain
I get so much energy from delivering with user-centred design principles but I would be ignoring the elephant in the room if I said everyone I work with as a content designer, understands my role. Throughout the 5 months, there was one distinct memory where this was questioned.
During the earlier COVID-19 days, I was asked by a colleague, to help edit a piece of content aimed at clinicians, I completely changed it to make it easier to navigate. I was told “thanks, but no thanks” to the feedback I gave and was asked to upload the original piece of content. I felt crushed, there was no way I would upload that content.
It was difficult to challenge someone when you’re relatively new to a role. Anxieties were high because covid was increasingly affecting more people each day. This was exacerbated by my colleague, who is a doctor, saying “I am a clinician and this is what I’d like to see”. I quickly developed a mantra of “you may be a clinician but I‘m an expert in helping people to read and understand online content”. Not quite as catchy, but it helped.
So what did I do? I withdrew from my involvement from this piece of work, and I wrote a very objective email outlining the problems within their content and the solutions to fix it. I did it objectively and with evidence where possible. The weight was lifted off my shoulders immediately. Whether or not they’d read through all of it, I’ll never know, but at least I know I acted with integrity.
Find opportunity in chaos
Just before I left, our team had picked up real momentum in understanding the role of interoperability and standards in adult social care. We started in a space of ambiguity as we spoke to stakeholders in the sector about the vast and complex world of adult social care. It was clear that the impact of COVID-19 truly stress-tested the infrastructure of our health and social care system, but it also created an opening for change.
By the time I left, we narrowed down the scope to look at the journey between care home / domiciliary care to hospital and back again.
I was motivated to hear experts in the sector reflecting on the possibilities which have been opened up because of COVID-19, for example, NHSX lining up a number of internet deals for care homes or the CQC reinforcing the need for a joined up system.
I will watch from a distance as my colleagues continue to make positive strides forward in the adult social care sector, a world that so desperately needs technological advances.
I close off with the gratitude that I played a role in the fight against COVID-19, working with some incredibly talented and interesting people along the way.
As for the rest of the year? I hope to launch my business in career and leadership coaching which I’ll most likely juggle on the side of a delivery manager or content design opportunity.
If you want to work with me, drop me an email or say hi on LinkedIn.
