Professional Insights Shaped by Real-World Experience
Our latest insights are grounded in the real-world challenges and opportunities we encounter through our ongoing consultancy work across the NHS, social care, and local government.
From navigating complex policy changes in international recruitment to designing sustainable workforce strategies in adult social care, our analysis reflects the lived experiences of providers, practitioners, and communities.
These perspectives aren’t theoretical—they’re shaped by the practical solutions we’re actively developing and delivering in partnership with public sector organisations.
Explore our current thinking to stay informed on the latest trends in healthcare transformation, workforce planning, and public sector innovation.
Experience-Led Solutions
Navigating the Shifting Landscape of International Recruitment in Social Care
UK government policy is shifting away from international recruitment in social care, creating uncertainty for providers, commissioners and workers alike. While ethical hiring and domestic workforce growth are being encouraged, visa changes and sponsor issues are causing immediate disruption. With data gaps and unclear long-term plans, the sector faces tough questions about sustainability and support.
Social Care in a Digital Age
The UK Government’s 2025 “Fit for the Future” 10-Year Health Plan sets out a bold mission: to transform the NHS and social care through three radical shifts—hospital to community, analogue to digital, and sickness to prevention
For social care, this is more than a policy—it’s a call to action to embrace digital transformation as a core part of delivering sustainable, person-centred care.
Smarter Spending, Safer Care
As the NHS and social care systems face mounting pressures, the need for smarter, more strategic procurement has never been clearer. One of the most effective ways to deliver both safety and savings is by embedding clinical expertise into procurement decisions—ensuring that every product and service purchased is appropriate, effective, and aligned with real-world needs.
Collaborative Solutions for Complex Systems
Co-Production in Safeguarding
Co-produced with providers, Safeguarding Huddles offer a safe, peer-led space to explore complex safeguarding and MCA issues. This reflective approach has improved confidence, reduced inappropriate referrals, and increased training uptake—strengthening practice while building a collaborative community of care
Clinical Engagement at Scale
By embedding clinical engagement into procurement, we ensured diabetes technologies were fit for purpose, safe, and equitable. This approach supported better outcomes, reduced health inequalities, and aligned with system priorities—demonstrating how clinician-led insight can drive smarter, more impactful procurement decisions at scale.
Collaborative & Empowering
Co-Production in Safeguarding: Building Confidence, Clarity, and Community Through Reflective Practice
At Eladdis, we believe that the most effective solutions are those designed with, not just for, the people who use them. Our approach to co-production is rooted in active listening, shared ownership, and practical delivery—ensuring that transformation is shaped by those closest to the work.
This ethos was central to the development of our Safeguarding Huddles, which emerged directly from provider feedback during a comprehensive programme of research, training needs analysis, and deep-dive engagement across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
Providers told us that while safeguarding training was widely completed—across all levels of leadership and frontline staff—challenges persisted. Safeguarding remained complex, inconsistently applied, and often misunderstood. Some referrals were made unnecessarily due to uncertainty, while others were used inappropriately as a default response to concerns that didn’t meet the threshold.
Providers asked for something different:
“We need a space to talk through the grey areas—somewhere safe, open, and honest.”
We listened—and co-produced a solution.
The Challenge: Complexity, Confidence, and Misuse
Safeguarding is inherently complex and highly individualised. While it is rightly prioritised across the sector, we found that:
- Safeguarding was being overused or misapplied, often due to uncertainty about thresholds or responsibilities
- Referrals were sometimes made inappropriately, either as a default response or due to lack of clarity
- Providers lacked a safe space to explore difficult cases, share concerns, and build confidence in decision-making
This created pressure on safeguarding systems and risked undermining trust between agencies.
The Solution: Safeguarding Huddles
In response, we co-designed and launched Safeguarding Huddles—a reflective, peer-led space for providers to explore real-world safeguarding and Mental Capacity Act (MCA) challenges in a supportive environment.
These sessions are not formal training. Instead, they offer:
- A safe, informal space to discuss complex cases
- Opportunities to clarify roles, responsibilities, and thresholds
- A platform for shared learning and peer support
- A foundation for cross-sector collaboration, including housing, health, and social care
Engagement and Reach
The first session welcomed 69 external providers from across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, including:
- CQC-regulated care services
- Non-regulated supported accommodation providers
This broad participation reflects the widespread relevance of safeguarding and MCA across diverse service types.
Feedback and Impact
Feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Participants described the session as:
“A really great idea – well done CCC at a time when it feels there is a lot of pressure on providers!”
“Very helpful session”
“Really interesting and informative”
“Wish this was 1.5 or 2 hours – it went fast!”
Attendees expressed strong interest in:
- Receiving slides and recordings
- Attending future sessions
- Sharing templates and good practice
Outcomes and Next Steps
The Safeguarding Huddles have already begun to:
- Build provider confidence in navigating complex safeguarding decisions
- Reduce inappropriate referrals, by clarifying when and how to escalate concerns
- Foster a community of practice, where providers can learn from each other and share tools
- Growth in training uptake, as providers seek to deepen their understanding—resulting in a measurable increase in engagement with formal training offers
- Enhanced income generation, as increased training demand has supported the sustainability of inhouse safeguarding training programmes
Building on the success of our initial safeguarding huddle, we have taken the following steps to deepen engagement and enhance impact:
- Extend future sessions to allow more time for rich discussion and collaborative problem-solving
- Expand our community of practice, fostering stronger peer networks and shared learning across sectors
- Share practical tools and resources, including care plan templates, legal guidance, and threshold frameworks to support confident decision-making
- Introduce themed sessions on key safeguarding topics such as Falls and Pressure Ulcers, helping to clarify thresholds and reduce inappropriate referrals
- Explore impact measurement, identifying ways to track improvements in safeguarding practice and referral quality over time
Conclusion
Co-production is not just about consultation—it’s about shared ownership of solutions. By creating space for honest dialogue, reflective practice, and peer learning, we are helping to build a more confident, capable, and connected provider community.
At Eladdis, we support organisations to design and deliver co-produced solutions that are practical, inclusive, and impactful. If you're looking to strengthen safeguarding practice or embed co-production into your transformation work—get in touch.
Co-Production with Providers
We co-design solutions with providers, creating safe, reflective spaces that build confidence, reduce risk, and foster shared learning—strengthening practice and improving outcomes across health, housing, and social care.
Impact-Driven Delivery
Our engagement approach leads to measurable results—increased training uptake, reduced inappropriate referrals, and enhanced system collaboration—supporting both service improvement and sustainable income generation for public sector programmes.
Maximising Existing Resources
Eladdis helps organisations unlock value from what they already have—leveraging existing tools, data, and networks to co-produce impactful solutions with no additional cost, just smarter coordination and insight.
Specialist Clinical Engagement
At Eladdis, we specialise in supporting public sector organisations to deliver complex transformation programmes through a unique blend of clinical expertise, commercial insight, and strategic delivery capability. Our approach ensures that procurement and service redesign are not only technically sound but also clinically informed, patient-centred, and outcome-driven.
Drawing on recent experience supporting national-level procurement initiatives in diabetes care, this article explores how effective clinical engagement can unlock better outcomes, smarter investment, and greater equity across the system.
In the evolving landscape of healthcare procurement, the importance of clinical engagement cannot be overstated. When done well, it ensures that products and services are not only cost-effective but also clinically appropriate, safe, and aligned with the needs of both patients and professionals.
Recent work in the diabetes technology space—particularly around continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), insulin pumps, and hybrid closed-loop systems—has demonstrated the transformative impact of engaging clinical leaders early and meaningfully in the procurement process.
Bridging Clinical Insight and Commercial Strategy
Drawing on experience from national-level procurement initiatives, it is clear that the most effective outcomes are achieved when clinical and commercial perspectives are integrated from the outset. By engaging clinicians with deep expertise in diabetes care, procurement teams were able to:
- Ensure products were fit for purpose, meeting the diverse needs of people living with Type 1 diabetes
- Support equitable access, helping to reduce health inequalities through consistent national availability
- Improve patient safety and outcomes, by selecting technologies that support self-management and reduce acute episodes
- Deliver clinical and financial value, aligning procurement with long-term system benefits
Key Features of a Strategic Framework Approach
While the specifics of the framework remain confidential, the approach taken offers valuable lessons for future initiatives:
- Comprehensive product coverage, including CGM devices, insulin pumps (tethered and patch), and closed-loop components
- Phased implementation, aligned with national clinical guidance and digital readiness
- Supplier standards, including sustainability, social value, and innovation readiness
- Centralised ordering, simplifying access for healthcare providers
- Substantial investment, reflecting the scale and importance of the technology in modern diabetes care
The Benefits of Effective Engagement
The outcomes of this approach speak for themselves:
- Improved access to life-changing technology for people with diabetes
- Enhanced clinical confidence, with products selected through robust, evidence-based processes
- System-wide efficiencies, through reduced variation, streamlined procurement, and better patient outcomes
- Alignment with national priorities, including digital transformation, health equity, and sustainability
Conclusion
Clinical engagement is not a procedural step—it is a strategic enabler. When led by individuals who understand both the clinical and commercial landscape, it becomes a powerful tool for delivering transformation at scale.
At Eladdis, we support organisations to embed clinical engagement into strategic change, procurement, and transformation programmes. If you're looking to deliver smarter, safer innovation—get in touch.