Strategy development for a specialist UK hospital

For a UK hospital specialised in neuro-disability, developed a strategy to deliver best-in-field treatment nationally and double in size.

Working closely with the CEO and his leadership team, we identified strategic options, evaluated them against criteria such as market positioning, critical success factors, financial impact and ease of implementation, and developed a 5-year action plan based on the strategic option selected: to embark upon an ambitious transformation from local specialist hospital, to national service and centre of excellence.

Context

Our client was the new CEO of a medical charity operating a 250-bed facility for adults with severe brain injury or neurological disease, predominantly through the NHS, and locally. He faced an urgent need to establish a strategy, following a series of recent changes including his own appointment, new Trustees, and shifts in NHS commissioning and the competitive environment.

The CEO had established a provisional set of strategic objectives that the review should consider. He sought consultancy support to develop this strategy in a progressive way, to allow the leadership team to take real ownership of the plans.

Approach

Working closely with the CEO and his executive team throughout, we built a comprehensive fact-base of the market for neurological disability services in the UK, analysed our client’s financial performance, capabilities and competitive strengths, and evaluated these against a series of strategic options. These included focusing on key segments of existing activity, expanding into new neuro-areas/adjacent activities, and becoming a world leader for neuro-disability medical treatment.

Having selected a strategic way forward together, we developed the 5-year action plan and financial business case, and detailed the capabilities required to successfully deliver.

Impact

The client, his leadership team and his Trustees signed up to the strategic plan: to transform the institution, from a local hospital for neuro-rehabilitation and long term care in one region, to a national service providing the best standards of treatment and care to the largest possible number of people with severe neuro-disability, roughly doubling in size.