In this conversation, we explore:
- The scale and complexity of communications at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals.
- Why healthcare technology adoption can’t be ‘one-size-fits-all’.
- How peer networks and partnerships shape decision-making.
- What a true technology partnership looks like in practice.
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals is one of the UK’s largest providers of community-based healthcare. With over 20,000 members of staff across the area, the Trust is tasked with administrating millions of outpatient appointments and inpatient procedures. The scale of the task means the Trust needs reliable, robust communications to maintain operational efficiency.
Sam Winterbottom, Gamma’s Public Sector Director, sat down with Tom Boyle, Head of Telecoms, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals to discuss the finer points behind technology adoption in healthcare. Their conversation centred around the rationale of focusing on outcomes rather than implementing technology for technology’s sake.
“It’s quite a broad remit in all honesty”
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals is a constantly growing Trust, in terms of both employees and breadth of services. Their staff, which stretches over 5 hospitals and 2 universities, require a suitable communication infrastructure to meet the healthcare needs of the local community.
Tom’s work focuses on both telecoms and engineering services. The scale of responsibility includes:
- 15-18,000 numbers.
- Direct Dialling In (DDI).
- Extension numbers.
- Contact centres.
- Outpatient reminders, such as SMS reminders and at least 7000 pagers.
For Tom, as much as it has been about managing technology, there’s an ‘operational and strategic element’ as well. It’s a 24/7 service that patients rely on, and communications underpin everything. But in healthcare, complexity can grow exponentially.
“It’s not just patient care”
If you consider most jobs, there’s likely a role for it in the NHS. Electricians, plumbers, cleaners – all have a place within an NHS Trust. Tom mentions how ‘you’d never imagine that all these roles exist’, and all these internally resourced roles need the right amount of support. Every member of staff, whether clinical or non-clinical, uses technology in their own way to carry out their duties.
Standardisation is a difficult, but necessary, task. Tom’s 15-year long experience at the Trust has given him a deeper understanding of ‘how the organisation works’, and the priorities of each department. That kind of understanding allows Tom to see ‘that everything flows from there.’
Even if staff don’t see themselves as a technologist professionally, they are ‘in their day-to-day lives.’ When change is needed, they know what technology best suits their role. Staff ‘understand their specialties,’ and Tom can’t just take a technology stack to a department and force change upon them.
Regardless of sector, it’s never about technology for technology’s sake. As Sam says, ‘it’s about the problems’ and outcomes looking to be achieved. Work backwards and think of how technology can adapt to people, not vice versa.
“It’s because of all the complexity”
Tom speculates that one of the public’s biggest frustrations with the NHS is how, with all the ‘amazing technology in the world’, they don’t understand how it instantly translates to healthcare. The complexity and differentiation between the numerous components of an NHS organisation means ‘[cherry picking] all the best technologies in the world’ isn’t viable.
Even if ‘money was no object’, it still wouldn’t work.
That’s why Tom leans on subject experts to understand which technologies are suitable. The knowledge and experience of other Trusts also prove useful here, as Tom can bounce ideas off the network of peers he has built. That way, Sheffield isn’t ‘reinventing the wheel’, while also promoting collaboration within the healthcare industry.
For Tom, if they can try new technology and process with the staff live, then he doesn’t ‘see how we ever lose out.’
“It’s the ability to work together and come up with new innovations”
For any organisation to thrive, partnership and trust is crucial. The success and growth the Trust has seen over the years has been down to taking a solution, whether one already procured or one from a partner, and ‘[giving] it a go.’
Those small tests in a live environment helps Tom and his colleagues see whether the solution is of use. Partners are keen for the Trust to try things, as a successful test means it benefits both sides of the partnership.
That aspect is something, for Tom, Gamma gets. It’s a ‘two-way partnership’ that involves coordinating ideas and proposing potential solutions to specific scenarios. There are times where Sam will ask whether one solution work, and others where Tom leads with that question.
That’s the way partnerships need to work. If not, stagnation sets in and an absence of strategy starts doing serious damage. No organisation, especially in healthcare, should ‘keep looking internally’ for the answers, as ‘[they]re bot going to change at the pace they need to.’
Sam highlights how Gamma’s role is more as a consultant, which is an approach that works perfectly in healthcare and procurement. People, as Tom mentions, are ‘petrified of being sold to’, and there’s now an ‘avoidance behaviour’ when speaking to suppliers. When partners adopt the role as consultant rather than salesperson, that’s when both sides really benefit.
“It’s been about relationships”
When reflecting over the long-term relationship with Gamma, Tom applauds how things have been ‘a bit old school.’ The relationship itself formed the crux of the long-term partnership, as well as how Gamma’s name ‘kept coming up’ when initially weighing up the move from ISDN to SIP.
Even though the move ‘was a natural place to start’, there wasn’t anything done commercially in those initial years of the partnership. However, that didn’t mean the relationship had ended; rather, because ‘[Sheffield] like to work in a more old-fashioned way’, they’d already invested themselves in that relationship.
When the times came to send out tenders, Gamma already ‘had a good understanding of [Sheffield] as an organisation.’ Likewise, the Trust understood Gamma’s capability as a supplier, with Gamma already ‘[scoring] well’ when it came to price and quality.
Both are fundamental areas within a healthy, working partnership, with trust and an understanding of culture also being pivotal. Having that kind of relationship, as Sam comments, means it’s easy for him to come to Tom with an idea and receive honest feedback on its feasibility.
When conversations turned to Sheffield’s mobile capabilities, it was natural ‘to end up doing business’ with Gamma. Once it did, the Trust ‘didn’t have a bad word to say’ due to the strong relationship already in place. The more successful, stronger relationships are the ones built on trust as opposed to price alone.
“It goes back to that human-centred approach”
Healthcare is a technology-centric industry. It isn’t, however, the catalyst for change. Rather, change still comes from a human-centric, problem-driven approach.
As Sam reminds us, a new solution should be introduced to ‘reach an outcome.’ Anybody can do all the research they need around new products, but until ‘you get to know somebody’ and understand the full scope of the challenge, that’s when meaningful change can happen.
The relationship between Gamma and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals has been cultivated through openness, honesty, and above all, collaboration. Those foundations are crucial in helping the Trust adapt at pace without losing focus on in its long-term goals in caring for the wider community.
Quick Answers: Partnership Over Procurement: The Relationship Between Gamma and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals
What communication challenges do large NHS Trusts like Sheffield Teaching Hospitals face?
Large NHS Trusts such as Sheffield Teaching Hospitals manage communications at significant scale, supporting over 20,000 staff across multiple sites. This includes handling thousands of phone numbers, contact centres, pagers, and patient communications, all within a 24/7 operational environment where reliability is essential.
Why is a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to healthcare technology ineffective?
Healthcare organisations are highly complex, with diverse clinical and non-clinical roles that require different tools and workflows. Standardised technology approaches often fail because solutions must adapt to specific departmental needs rather than forcing change across the organisation.
How do NHS organisations approach technology adoption and decision-making?
Technology adoption in NHS Trusts is typically outcome-driven rather than technology-led. Decision-makers focus on solving operational problems first, then identify solutions that fit. Peer networks and collaboration with other Trusts also play a key role in validating decisions and avoiding unnecessary risk.
What role do partnerships play in successful healthcare technology deployment?
Strong partnerships enable NHS organisations to test and refine solutions in live environments. A two-way, collaborative approach—where both the provider and the Trust contribute ideas—supports innovation, reduces risk, and ensures technology delivers measurable value.
Why is a consultancy-led approach more effective than traditional procurement in healthcare?
Healthcare organisations often prefer partners who act as consultants rather than salespeople. A consultancy-led approach builds trust, reduces resistance to change, and enables more meaningful collaboration focused on outcomes instead of product-led selling.
