Oceansblue, a data science company who specialise in elevating NHS workforce systems capability, have secured a substantial five-figure grant from the Innovation Networks Project. The funding, which is managed by Coventry University Enterprises Ltd (CUE), facilitates regional and UK-wide economic growth and development. The award will be used by Oceansblue to develop their Sentinel AI software, scaling it to cover 99% of UK Trusts and Health Boards.
NHS staff rostering is by nature complicated and workforce systems run across multiple separate platforms, leading to disjointed and incomplete analysis. Sentinel AI unifies this data, distributing it in natural language to enable wards to run more smoothly, thereby reducing staff stress and increasing staffing compliance.
Sentinel AI works like an always-on, virtual team-member, predicting and flagging roster problems, cross-referencing policy and recommending action to guide decision making. This approach has a proven track record of success and gives Ward Managers and Matrons a structured approach to managing rosters, as well as proactively alerting them about future issues. Moreover, the rostering improvements correlate to reduced Bank and Agency temporary staffing costs and higher staff retention.
Extending the coverage of Sentinel AI has also been facilitated by Oceansblue’s recent partnership with Allocate, as part of the Allocate Connect Programme. Workforce software specialists Allocate work collaboratively with digital technology innovators – and in the case of Oceansblue, the partnership expedites the uptake of Oceansblue products and services across UK Trusts and Health Boards.
Greg Bull, Director of Data Science, Oceansblue, said ‘We’re delighted this project has been selected by the CUE for investment. The funding will allow us to recruit local talent to deliver our AI and predictive modelling to a greater number of NHS Trusts and Health Boards. Our ambition is to always provide the highest quality information possible to our NHS customers.’
Keith Elkin, CEO, Oceansblue, said ‘Our customers place great value on staff wellbeing and are constantly looking to make improvements. Sentinel AI supports the management in their decision making through timely access to personalised and accurate information, which in turn improves life on the wards.’
The challenge the NHS is currently facing – dealing with the global COVID-19 pandemic – is unprecedented. As a result, the successful development and implementation of Sentinel AI could not be more timely, giving Ward Managers and Matrons essential support to mitigate the additional pressure on staffing.
For more information about this project contact hello@oceansblue.co.uk
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