Rahima Bhatti

Malcolm Senior – Non-Executive Director

Malcolm Senior – Non-Executive Director

Malcolm joined the NHS in 1997 after a career in Coal Mining and working on the Channel Tunnel Project. His 26 year career in the NHS has mainly been spent as a Chief Information Officer in Acute Hospitals in Torbay and South Devon and Musgrove Park Hospital in Somerset. Between January 2017 and May 2021 Malcolm worked on national Digital Programmes for NHS Digital, based in Leeds and London before joining NHS Devon in June 2021.

Malcolm currently has responsibility for Digital Transformation across the Devon Integrated Care System, with a real focus on increasing the use of digital technology to enable new models of care and improve the experiences and outcomes of care.

Malcolm has three grown up Son’s and enjoys walking in the beautiful Devon countryside, all forms of theatre and travel. He is an avid sports fan, supporting Leeds United FC and Castleford RLFC.

NEWS – Delt Partners with Reliance Cyber to Offer Industry-leading Cybersecurity Services to the Public Sector

Delt Partners with Reliance Cyber to Offer Industry-leading Cybersecurity Services to the Public Sector

Delt Shared Services and Reliance Cyber have partnered to provide industry-leading managed security services to public sector organisations.

The partnership with Reliance Cyber aims to provide an ‘always on’ security approach that will strengthen the defences of public sector organisations and safeguard them against the increasing number and complexity of cyber-attacks.

With the increasing number of attacks on the public sector, comprehensive cyber security is vitally important. In August 2022, 36 NHS organisations were impacted by a severe cyber-attack that had significant and long-lasting effects. Incidents like the attack on the NHS are costly, time-consuming, and disruptive. Such attacks, highlight the need for public sector organisations to have comprehensive cybersecurity defences in place.

Delt’s partnership with Reliance Cyber will provide public sector customers with a fully managed security service which includes 24/7, 365-day-a-year monitoring, detection, and response, mitigating their risk of cyberattacks. This partnership is a significant milestone in the expansion of Delt’s capabilities and is a direct response to the market’s need for increased resilience against cyber threats.

Giles Letheren CEO of Delt, expressed his delight at the collaboration, saying, ” We are committed to always providing our customers with the highest level of service, working with Reliance Cyber enables us to further meet this objective. Letheren went on to say, “The partnership provides a top-level security service that supports and responds to the real threats facing public sector organisations. ”

Rob Walton, Chief Revenue Officer at Reliance Cyber, added, “We are proud to work with Delt in protecting public sector organisations from the mounting threat of cyberattacks. Our team of experts is dedicated to providing best-in-class security, and we look forward to collaborating with Delt to further secure their customers.”

The Delt and Reliance Cyber partnership is set to enhance the cybersecurity of public sector organisations and provide Delt’s customers with peace of mind. Delt believes that its clients should feel confident that they are protected by the best possible security service in the market. With Reliance Cyber’s expertise and experience in advanced cyber threats, there is confidence that this partnership will provide customers with the highest level of protection. By working together, this partnership will help clients mitigate their risks, stay ahead of emerging threats, and focus on their core operations with the knowledge that their critical assets and data are secure.

Nick Buckland – Non-Executive Director

Image of Nick Buckland, stood at a podium with blue background

Nick Buckland OBE – Non-Executive Director

Eur Ing Nick Buckland OBE has a portfolio career. He chairs and is a member of a number of boards both locally and nationally, in the private, public and voluntary sectors. He lives in Cornwall where he owns and operates an organic livestock farm with his wife Debbie, In Plymouth he chairs three schools, the Theatre Royal, the Plymouth Waterfront Partnership and KARST (Plymouth’s largest visual arts facility). He is also a Trustee of the Peninsula Medical Foundation and the Plymouth Marine Laboratory. He chairs an independent school in North Devon and an FE College in Hertfordshire. Nationally he chairs the Soil Association Certification Board, Future First (an education charity) and the Riverford Organics Trust. Nick is also the Deputy Chair of South West Water’s WaterShare+ Panel and is a member of the GWR Advisory Board as well as Travel Watch SW.

Having previously spent over 20 years in the IT industry, Nick is an acknowledged expert in strategic planning, audit, governance, review processes, quality and he has worked closely with many board and board committees. He was Deputy Chair of the South West Regional Development Agency and a founding member of the governing board of the Technology Strategy Board – the government’s innovation agency. He was Pro Chancellor and former chair of Governors of University of Plymouth, one of the largest Universities in the UK and for five years was an External Member, Governance, of the Council of the National Trust.

He holds a BSc in Mathematics from the University of Bath, is a Fellow of the British Computer Society, the Institute of Maths and it’s Applications, the Royal Society of Arts, the Institute of Engineering and Technology and the Chartered Management Institute. He is a member of the Institute of Directors and the Royal Institution.  He holds a Dip RSA, is a Chartered Engineer, Chartered Information Systems Practitioner, Chartered Manager and a European Engineer.

He was appointed OBE in the 2009 New Year Honours List for services to Innovation & Technology and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Technology by Plymouth University in 2013.

Nick and his wife have one son, three dogs, and five cats as well as numerous sheep, a herd of Ruby Red cattle and Gloucester Old Spot pigs. He is an avid fan of all forms of theatre and travel and enjoys cricket at Lords as a member of the MCC.

NEWS – Why ‘always on’ Cybersecurity is crucial in the Public Sector

Why ‘always on’ Cybersecurity is crucial in the Public Sector

Cyber-attacks on healthcare globally saw an increase of 90% in the 2nd calendar quarter of 2022 [versus the 1st quarter].

In August 2022, 36 NHS organisations were impacted by a severe cyber-attack. The effects were felt for weeks as remedial action took place in a bid to return to the status quo and resume business as usual. Cyber-attacks are costly, timely and simply unpleasant.  

Back in 2019, Ernest & Young estimated that the NHS holds £9.6bn worth of data. The NHS cannot afford a large scale (or small-scale) cyber-attack. Yet few are suitably geared up to prevent such events from happening, let alone have the resource in place to act if (when) an attack happens.  

NHS Security Leaders and CIOs know the risks and know that cyber-attacks are a very real threat to their business. However, they are operating within several constraints with their hands, often, tied… 

  1. Inability to provide full 24x7x365 monitoring and responses to attacks, which often require human intervention. Many DPO (Data Protection Officer) and Cyber security roles are only paid to work between 9-5 and therefore the key challenge for organisations is the cost of building an in-house 24x7x365 which is unaffordable even if organisations were able to source the talent needed. 
  2. Investments in great technology solutions which are useless on their own without the skilled people to operate. Having software to detect threats in the early hours of the morning, without the people to then mitigate said threats. 
  3. Organisations lack the capacity and skills to ensure effective Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery incident response plans which are regularly tested.  
  4. Skills and talent shortages, which are particularly challenging in the far Southwest of England. 

It is for these reasons that Delt has recently updated its Managed Detection and Response service. The problems which the NHS face are worrying, and CIOs need the support to plan and act. For Delt’s current NHS customer’s they are already feeling the benefits of an ‘always on’ service which has enhanced in-house protection and monitoring.  

Through adopting a partner, who can provide an ‘always on’ monitoring service organisations are reaping the benefits of;  

  • In-depth sector knowledge and experience working with existing NHS customers 
  • Ability to leverage existing national investments such as Microsoft Defender for Endpoint. Allowing NHS customers to continue to align with local and national strategies. 
  • Able to rapidly respond to changing threat landscapes 
  • Improved collaboration and shared intelligence across several NHS organisations and non-NHS customers.  
  • Innovation built in, enabling stretched NHS technology professionals to focus on clinical/digital transformation initiatives 
  • Confidence and reassurance in a full capability and not just technology 
  • Reduced retention and recruitment challenges with within the technology/cyber environment.  
  • Access to additional services such as Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery, and incident response. 

To find out about Delt’s Cybersecurity and Data Protection Service please visit here.

Plymouth Active Leisure

Plymouth Active Leisure

Who are Plymouth Active Leisure?

From the 1st of April 2022 Plymouth Active Leisure Ltd, a new Plymouth City Council-owned company, was set up to run the existing leisure facilities, within the city. These include Plymouth Life Centre, Brickfields Sports Centre, Plympton Swimming Pool and Gym, Mount Wise Outdoor Pools and Tinside Lido.

How does Delt Support Plymouth Active Leisure?

When Plymouth City Council decided to set up Plymouth Active Leisure and retain the commercial operations of city’s leisure centres; Delt were approached to provide the necessary IT Services across all leisure sites.

Health Innovation South West

Health Innovation South West

Who are Health Innovation South West?

Health Innovation South West is one of the 15 Health Innovation Networks set up by NHS England in 2013.  As a Health Innovation Network, they are uniquely placed to connect NHS and academic organisations, local authorities, the third sector and industry, using their position to drive the adoption and spread of innovative ideas and technologies across large populations.

 

How does Delt Support the South West Academic Health Science Network?

NEWS – Devon Partnership NHS Trust and Delt Shared Services set to deliver digital transformation to provide exceptional customer care

Devon Partnership NHS Trust and Delt Shared Services set to deliver digital transformation to provide exceptional customer care

Devon Partnership NHS Trust (DPT) is embarking on an ambitious transformation project, which will see their IT become more aligned with the NHS’s digital aspirations. This work will achieve a significant step-change in how the organisation collaborates with other service providers and delivers high quality care.  

At any one-time DPT supports around 30,000 people across Devon, the wider Southwest region and nationally. The organisation works closely with other health and social care providers to support the recovery of people with mental health, learning disability and neurodiversity needs. 

Delt Shared Services has been brought on board to support DPT with its plans for digital maturity, removing boundaries to information sharing and improving collaboration across the health and social care sector. 

It is difficult to imagine that an IT provider could make an impact on patient care. However, through this new partnership, DPT aims to deliver better population health outcomes by achieving its digital transformation strategy.  

The partnership has been formed based on Delt’s own work with Mental Health in the workplace. The organisation prioritises support and resources for its 200+ workforce and genuinely believes that happy staff are successful and productive employees.  

Rafael Sorribas, Chief Information Officer, says: “Over the last three years, we have increased our use of technology to support how we work at a far greater rate than we could have imagined or planned for. We have given out more than 4,000 laptops, iPads, and iPhones, and introduced a number of new applications and a VPN to support remote working. Users of our services have been able to connect to our care teams and staff have all been kept connected to colleagues across the Trust and beyond. 

“This has increased the amount of ‘IT support’ needed and we need to ensure a sustainable solution for the future. We have worked hard to create a partnership, with Delt, to provide the capacity and expertise to be able to support the Trust now and into the future”.  

Since its formation, Delt has continued to strive to be a regional leader within workplace mental wellbeing. From signing-up to the Wellbeing Charter, providing Mental Health First Aid Training, having an accessible EAP (Employee Assistance Programme) running 24/7, offering monthly Mental Health focused seminars in partnership with DevonMind and gaining regular staff feedback on what more could be done to support the wellbeing of all staff.  

DPT and Delt are aligned in their values and commitment to good mental health and wellbeing. It is this mutual passion and understanding that has formed the basis of this partnership. Delt will now supply IT services to the DPT’s 3,600 users across clinical and administrative roles. The two organisations will work collaboratively to deliver the digital transformation strategy, providing patients with exceptional care and service.  

Giles Letheren, Delt’s CEO said; “At Delt, we are truly passionate about supporting front-line staff to deliver a quality service to their customers. Our focus always has been and always will be helping clinicians to be up and running swiftly and efficiently so that they can meet the needs of their patients.” 

Giles added; “Our service has never been driven by closing tickets as quickly as possible. Instead, we work closely with our customers to properly understand their problems, fix them and implement a sustainable solution. We genuinely believe in our mission of Helping People Do Amazing Things and through this partnership with DPT we can continue to support key workers who provide crucial services to our communities.” 

GPintheCloud Service tackles GP shortage across Devon

GPintheCloud is a brand-new cloud-based system that allows GPs to access key systems and software remotely and from any compatible device.  

Before the launch of GPintheCloud, GPs would need to carry an NHS issued device to access patient data and clinical operating systems. For many, this meant carrying multiple devices or only being able to serve a patient when in a GP practice using a desktop computer.  

GPintheCloud is the brainchild of Delt Shared Services and INTEGY. Working collaboratively with the Devon NHS Clinical Commissioning Group, the three teams set out to tackle both the shortage of GPs and the potential for practice staff to suddenly have to work from home. Both issues were being exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic and urgently needed a sustainable solution.  

Delt and INTEGY created the GPintheCloud service to allow clinical staff to work from anywhere. Should a practice have to close, or a member of staff has to self-isolate due to Covid, the service can continue operating remotely. GPs, even locums from out of region, can serve patients from their own homes, using their own laptops. Gone are the days of needing to access and log into a desktop PC within a surgery.  

GPintheCloud is a secure virtual desktop that allows clinicians to access their GP ‘window’ from anywhere. The solution has so far delivered 8,000 extra clinical hours, since launch, with GP practices being able to utilise Locum GPs from outside the region and keep practice staff in work during periods of illness or closure. 

As the service continues to be rolled out, additional use-cases have been identified and are currently in trial. This includes Pharmacists being able to use the GPintheCloud service to access specific patient data negating the need to make follow up phone calls with GPs and the patient.  

Additionally Medical Examiners, who write and issue Death Certificates, can use the service to review the patient medical history without the need to individually request access to historical medical files and GP notes.  

Since the launch of GPintheCloud more than 200 GPs, across England are utilising the service to significantly improve the clinical care offering across the region.  

To find out more about GPintheCloud please visit www.gpinthecloud.com

Delt Shared Services sign new agreement with Electrotek Solutions

 

Delt Shared Services sign new agreement with Electrotek Solutions

For over 5 years, Delt Shared Services have worked with Electrotek Solutions, an IT WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) recycling company, to manage the disposal of the IT equipment used across the business and by our customers. We are pleased to announce that we have renewed this agreement and will continue to work together until 2025.  

Electrotek are experts in their methods of recycling and employ a zero to landfill policy throughout the Southwest. Unfortunately, in the fast-paced world of IT, equipment can reach the end of its life relatively quickly. This is where Electrotek step in and refurbish a proportion of the assets to allow them to be repopulated into the local community. The remaining assets are then broken down into metals, glass & plastics for recycling. 

By working with Electrotek, Delt have made sure that over 1,000 devices or 3.8 tonnes of WEEE Waste, are to be reused for its original purpose and ensured the responsible recycling of the remaining 7 tonnes of WEEE Waste. This has resulted in a total CO2 saving of 10.46 tonnes. 

Additionally, the partnership between Delt and Electrotek has made a positive contribution to the community in the value of £21,075 (financial and equipment donations) and has supported local charities in need such as The Shekinah Mission and Sanctuary Supported Living’s Plymouth Domestic Abuse Services (PDAS). 

Giles Letheren, CEO at Delt Shared Services said, “We’re committed, here at Delt, to exceeding the ‘greening government’ commitments and more sustainable operations and we’re delighted that our renewed partnership with Electrotek is helping to make this happen. 

 

Photo by Electrotek Solutions – a member of Delt staff handing over refurbished equipment to Sanctuary Supported Living’s Plymouth Domestic Abuse Services (PDAS) in 2021. 

Neil Gater – Chief Technical Officer

Neil Gater – Chief Technical Officer

Originally from Wiltshire, Neil moved to Exmouth in 2021 with his wife and three children (and two dogs) having spent 20 years living and working in Manchester.  The move to Devon was very much a lifestyle decision to allow his family to live, work and study in a greener environment which fits their outdoor lifestyle.  When not supporting his children’s extensive sporting endeavours he enjoys walking, watching rugby and escaping to the garden or his allotment.

Neil’s career has entirely been spent in IT, starting out in sales roles before transitioning over a 10-year period through solution focused roles into leadership positions focused on IT strategy.  He has worked in both the private and public sector over the years working with a wide range of partners and customers.  Neil is focused on really understanding and identifying how technology can be applied to drive transformation.  He joined Delt as it gave the opportunity to join an organisation which is making a tangible difference at a local level, and which cares about and invests in its people.

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