About SDC
SDI’s Service Desk Certification (SDC) programme is the only standards-based accreditation programme designed specifically to certify service desk quality. The ‘Global Best Practice Standard for Service Desk’ provides a set of clear and measurable benchmarks for IT service operations. To achieve Certification, the maturity level of a service and support operation is thoroughly audited against this Best Practice Standard.
The Christie NHS Foundation Trust
The Christie is the largest single site cancer centre in Europe and the first UK centre to be accredited as a comprehensive cancer centre, treating more than 60,000 patients a year. Their Digital Services team joined the Service Desk Certification programme in 2023, achieving an impressive 3 star maturity rating at their first full audit in 2024.
We asked Digital Operations Lead Dan Hollands to share his SDC experience, the changes he’s seen since joining the programme and the impact that Certification is having on his team and the wider organisation:
Tell us a bit about your team and what you do
Our mission is to provide a reliable, efficient service to our clinicians and back-office teams. We focus on resolving IT issues quickly, delivering high levels of customer service whilst embracing new technology. Our goal is to enhance the experience for both clinicians and patients through continuous improvement and collaboration.
What challenges were the team facing prior to joining the SDC programme?
We were lacking a consistent data-led approach to managing the Tech Bar and IT Operations, and there were challenges around hidden work, no internal KPI’s, no SLA management, no problem management process and limited stakeholder engagement.
Why did you decide to join the SDC programme?
We decided to undertake Service Desk Certification to measure ourselves against industry standards, and to look for opportunities for service and process improvements. Timing-wise it coincided with our move to a new ITSM tool so it helped us prepare for this high impact change.
What key changes have been made as a result of your Certification?
After the Assessment in 2023 we went live with a new ITSM tool. After the initial go-live period we worked to move our CAB (Change Advisory Board) process from SharePoint into the tool and continued to develop our service catalogue, knowledge management and automations, and implemented problem management and ITAM through the tool.
Has the SDC programme helped your team overcome any challenges or driven improvements?
Yes it has – in some areas we were very aware that improvements were needed, but the programme has given us perspective of other areas for improvements along with confirming we were right in our assumptions.
When we switched ITSM tools we started to be able to actively measure KPI’s both for the service, the teams and individuals. Reporting in our old tool was problematic and the new toolset has improved this drastically.
How will you measure the value of the Certification journey in your organisation?
We are still defining our return on investment measures but it will include improved staff retention, value added to clinicians, and quicker response / fix rates.
Would you recommend the SDC programme to other similar services?
I would absolutely recommend Service Desk Certification to others yes.
What are some lessons learned along the way?
Data is everything! Having good, accurate data which is measured, discussed with stakeholders and colleagues and a story around the data is key. Often reports are produced and shared without any story wrapped around the data.
What are you most proud to share about your Certification achievement?
I am really pleased to have moved from a below 2* score to a 3* in 18 months, it has given the team assurances that we are working well and in line with industry standards. This certification shows we are delivering a good service to our clinicians which ultimately improves patient outcomes.
We achieved so much in 2023/2024 and the 3* was the perfect end to 2024. The team worked hard on the evidence gathering, the interviews, the data and the process documentation. Having the 18 months of data as the backbone of our audit was key along with all the good work we do trying to be the Digital Service that The Christie deserves.
Special thanks to Dan Hollands, Digital Operations Lead at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust
New AI-focused concept added to the Standard
The Global Best Practice Standard for Service Desk (the Standard) is the framework that underpins the Service Desk Certification programme, with detailed criteria covering 10 concepts. The Standard has been updated to v9, and contains a new concept – ‘Managing the AI System’ – to help you navigate the practical challenges of implementing and integrating AI capabilities in to your service.
