Healthcare Horizons

Client: UK Department of Health, Centre for Workforce Intelligence, and Mouchel Management Consulting, Ltd.

Partners: The University of Manchester (UK) and Cyberfox (Czech Republic)

Duration: 3 years (2013-2015)

Outcomes: Horizon Scanning Methodology; Horizon Scanning Hub; Horizon Scanning iPad App (First HS App in the World); Technology Horizon Report; Policy Briefings.

At Futures Diamond, we take pride in our collaborations that drive meaningful change and innovation. One such notable achievement was our partnership with the Centre for Workforce Intelligence (CfWI) in the development of the Horizon Scanning Hub. This initiative was an integral part of a comprehensive program focused on enhancing the quality of health and social care workforce intelligence in the UK. By doing so, it aimed to drive improvements in long-term workforce planning, ensuring a more effective and sustainable healthcare system.

Over the course of our three-year collaboration, Futures Diamond has contributed to the field of workforce management and planning by:

• Launching the CfWI Horizon Scanning Hub: We successfully launched the CfWI Horizon Scanning Hub, with future-thinking information about the healthcare, social care, and public health workforce in the United Kingdom. This unique resource empowered decision-makers to make informed choices, improve workforce planning, and positively impact people's lives. The Hub was unveiled at the respected London and Leeds CfWI conferences and featured prominently in the second issue of Future Workforce Matters.
• Introducing the CfWI Horizon Scanning Hub iPad App: We developed the world's first Horizon Scanning Hub iPad App, which provided users with offline and on-the-go access to the Hub's rich repository of ideas and projects. By bringing future-thinking information and ideas co-created by health and social care professionals and practitioners to users' fingertips, we facilitated more seamless and convenient engagement with the Hub's valuable insights.
• Facilitating Collaborative Idea Generation: The platform attracted numerous experts and stakeholders from the Health and Social Care sector, fostering effective co-creation of ideas that shaped the future of healthcare workforce.
• Informing Policy and Decision-Making: The data and intelligence collected through the Hub played a pivotal role in informing policy and decision-making processes. We produced and published briefings and reports, such as "The Technology Horizon", which provided timely insights into the future of public workforce and the impact of technology. These resources shaped the direction of workforce planning and policy making.

While the Horizon Scanning Hub was archived by the Conservative Government in February 2016, it remains a cornerstone of our company's future developments and the catalyst for many of the activities and solutions we offer today. We invite you to watch a short reference video about the Horizon Scanning Hub https://youtu.be/Y8qxUehdr0M