in this case study the journey of RTN Mental Health Solutions, demonstrating how prioritising safety, ethics, and good governance can lead to improved care, built on the strongest foundations.
Navigating Rapid Growth in Medical Services
At 8foldGovernance, we believe that good governance is great business. We are excited to share in this case study the journey of RTN Mental Health Solutions, demonstrating how prioritising safety, ethics, and good governance can lead to improved care, built on the strongest foundations.
RTN Mental Health Solutions plays a pivotal role in supporting overstretched NHS services, particularly in the critical area of neurodiversity. Due to the unprecedented demand for ADHD and autism assessments, RTN’s recognition as a provider under the “Right to Choose” scheme presented a remarkable opportunity to expand its reach and help more patients. RTN have gone on to secure 7 large-scale NHS contracts, with continued growth anticipated. However, this rapid growth brought new compliance challenges.
8foldGovernance was the experienced partner we needed. They didn’t just ensure compliance; they built a dynamic governance model that reduces administrative burden and supports our sustainable growth with the NHS.
Matthew Jolly, CEO at RTN Mental Health
Facing these new challenges, RTN Mental Health Solutions sought an experienced partner to navigate these requirements. They engaged 8foldGovernance, confident that our expertise would provide a solid foundation for engaging with NHS trusts and commissioners. Beyond mere tick-box compliance, our collaboration aimed to develop a dynamic governance model that would not only ensure ongoing adherence to regulations but also foster sustainable growth and scalability by reducing administrative burden and promoting operational efficiency.
RTN Mental Health Solutions is a dedicated provider of neurodiversity services, committed to fostering inclusive and supportive environments for individuals with diverse neurological conditions. With a mission centred on delivering personalised care and promoting holistic well-being, RTN offers a comprehensive suite of services tailored to meet the unique needs of its clients. Their services include assessments, therapeutic interventions, support groups, and educational programs designed to empower individuals, families, and organisations.
RTN Mental Health Solutions also works in partnership with the NHS, supporting overstretched NHS services through the “Right to Choose” scheme. The scheme empowers patients in England, referred by their GP for an ADHD or autism assessment, to select their provider and receive an assessment and sometimes treatment in a timely manner.
RTN Mental Health Solutions experienced a significant increase in demand due to its recognition as a provider for ADHD assessments under the “Right to Choose” scheme. For RTN Mental Health, this presented an opportunity to extend its services to a broader patient base, substantially increasing the number of patients served.
However, this growth introduced unique challenges for the business. The increased patient volume and sensitive data required stricter compliance, straining their internal resources. Their main concerns were data protection under UK GDPR and NHS standards like the Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT). They also faced cybersecurity risks, needing to protect patient data from attacks. Recognising these challenges, they prioritised developing a robust compliance model to protect patient data with expert external oversight to ensure the highest standards were met
Facing critical challenges, RTN Mental Health decided to engage 8foldGovernance. RTN also recognised the limitations of a purely ‘tick-box’ approach to governance. They sought 8fold’s proven expertise in this field, hoping to leverage our deep knowledge and experience of working in and with the NHS in this area. Our dedicated information governance team has worked collaboratively with numerous clients, guiding them through the complexities of implementing sound governance practices across their entire business operations.
The collaboration with 8foldGovernance aimed to move beyond basic adherence to regulations and develop a dynamic governance model. This model was envisioned to not only ensure ongoing compliance but also to foster sustainable growth and scalability by reducing unnecessary administrative burdens and promoting efficient operational practices. This strategic focus on a human-led support format, rather than a “reg tech” solution, was crucial because a technological solution would still demand internal time and lacked the personalisation and integration necessary for RTN’s current and future needs.
Working with RTN Mental Health, we first sought to gain a thorough understanding of their unique services and current operational standing. Our goal was to implement a tailored policy and procedure suite that aligned with their service delivery and integrated both technical and procedural controls, all within the timeframe required for compliance with the annual NHS DSPT submission.
Given that RTN Mental Health is a medical service provider, its support requirements differed from those of a Health IT manufacturer. Our team leveraged its experience with similar businesses, starting with a detailed analysis of RTN’s services. This allowed us to fully comprehend their data controller relationship with NHS customers and develop bespoke policies and procedures to suit their needs.
To ensure that the implemented policies and procedures were dynamic and customised for RTN Mental Health, Hugh, the Information Governance Lead, gained an in-depth understanding of their organisational structure and the overlap of processes between sister companies. This approach minimised the overall number of documents needed for organisation-wide compliance. Furthermore, to avoid duplication and support RTN’s CQC compliance needs, we collaborated with their internal CQC lead to create a cohesive information governance and CQC documentation strategy.
As the project progressed, we conducted workshops with relevant staff to foster a strong working relationship and ensure all necessary stakeholders were involved from the outset. This collaborative approach was crucial for meeting the June deadline for the DSPT submission. Hugh then applied his comprehensive knowledge to develop a GDPR-compliant Data Protection and Information Governance Framework that systematically covered the entire organisation.
The project was completed on-time through a combination of workshops, asynchronous messaging, and task management via our project management tool, Monday.com. This ensured clear allocation of actions and deadlines, delineating responsibilities between RTN and 8fold for effective documentation collaboration.
Working with RTN Mental Health was a great experience. By collaborating closely with Matt and colleagues, we crafted a compliance framework that was genuinely dynamic and effective for their unique operations.
Hugh Collard, Information Governance Lead
From the outset, RTN understood that effective governance is fundamental to overall organisational success. The integration of robust information governance practices, guided by 8foldGovernance, ensured alignment with broader regulatory frameworks, most notably those set forth by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). This holistic approach recognised that strong governance is not merely a regulatory obligation but an intrinsic element of sound business operations, contributing to both the quality of care and organisational resilience.
8Fold has enabled us to comply with NHS IG and DP standards, which is invaluable and contributed towards a fourfold increase in revenue over the past year.
Matthew Jolly, CEO at RTN Mental Health
Another key aspect of our support involved us assuming the role of Data Protection Officer (DPO). This increased their overall capacity, ensuring timely responses to Subject Access Requests (SARs) and expert assurance of best practices.
We also streamlined their policies and procedures, ensuring compliance with both NHS and CQC requirements. Critically, these newly developed frameworks are scalable, safeguarding patient safety even as the business continues to grow. We’re now extending this streamlined approach to RTN Diagnostic and RTN Medical, creating a unified suite of policies and procedures that will eliminate duplication and unnecessary administrative work across the entire organisation.
As a result of RTN Mental Health Solutions meeting these standards and prioritising good governance, they secured their first contract with the NHS in December 2023. They have gone on to secure a further 7 large-scale NHS contracts, enabling them to support a significant number of patients in need of their services and more than double their annual turnover, with continued growth anticipated.
8foldGovernance is also now supporting RTN Mental Health Solutions with their clinical safety requirements. We are currently guiding them through the DCB0160 standard for health IT deployment, ensuring their systems meet crucial clinical safety requirements. In tandem with clinical safety, we have prioritised enhancing RTN’s technical security, a critical need given the rising threat of ransomware attacks. Our support has enabled both RTN Medical and Diagnostic to achieve Cyber Essentials certification, signifying a robust baseline of cybersecurity controls.
RTN Mental Health Solutions isn’t looking to slow down its incredible growth. To ensure they do this safely with quality and safety at the heart, they’ve now hired an internal compliance manager to work alongside us, ensuring compliance is prioritised and implemented effectively with a human touch. This collaboration enables the deep expertise of 8foldGovernance to be complemented by local knowledge and experience, enhancing implementation and ongoing management.
As RTN continues their mission to support the NHS through the “Right to Choose” scheme, aiming to reduce patient waiting times for neurodiversity treatment and support, we’re navigating alongside them as they develop new services for both the NHS and the UK private sector.
Their next big jump is entering the EU market. We’ll be there to support them as they navigate similar health system challenges to the NHS, ensuring their expansion goes beyond mere tick-box compliance, and we’ll be with them every step of the way.
If your business provides services or technology to the UK health and care sector, you’re undoubtedly facing the complexities of managing multiple standards simultaneously. We understand that achieving this seamlessly, without overwhelming your team’s capacity, can be complicated and challenging, but it doesn’t have to be.
Partner with us to guide you through the process, helping you to implement “good governance” across your business.
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