Devon LMC: information that’s easy to find, protected and ready for AI

SectorHealthcare

Supports100+ GP practices and 7,000+ staff

EngagementDiscovery, data and automation

The client

A golden thread from the consulting room to national decision-making

Devon LMC is the independent, statutory representative for General Practice in Devon. It represents, supports and advocates for GP practices, ensuring their collective voice is heard and their interests protected.

Working locally, regionally and nationally, Devon LMC influences healthcare policy, negotiates on behalf of practices and challenges decisions that may impact clinical safety, workload, contractual obligations or financial sustainability.

Alongside its representative role, it provides practical advice, guidance and professional support, helping practices navigate an increasingly complex healthcare environment and ensuring General Practice has a strong voice in shaping the future of local healthcare.

The challenge

New systems in place, but too much still done by hand

Small team supporting a lot of activity across 100+ practices and 7000 staff

Devon LMC had undertaken a significant modernisation of its internal digital infrastructure, integrating Microsoft Teams and SharePoint to create a more streamlined and secure working environment

However, with the new systems in place, they recognised that technology alone would not deliver the longer-term efficiencies they needed. Many day-to-day processes remained heavily reliant on manual administration, creating duplication, inconsistencies and unnecessary demands on staff time

The plan

Make better use of what they already had

Protect the investment already made in their digital transformation while finding practical ways to reduce administrative workload, strengthen governance and release capacity across the team

During our discovery sprint we identified opportunities to introduce tailored AI-driven automation into their existing systems.

Rather than introducing entirely new technology, the focus was on making better use of the infrastructure Devon LMC already had

What we did

Four automations, built around their existing Microsoft tools

Identified four priority items to reduce manual administration, strengthen information governance and ensure that systems remained efficient as the organisation grows and evolves.

Automated file naming to introduce greater consistency and improve document search and retrieval

AI-generated document tagging to make information easier to locate and manage

Automated redaction within their core support services application to ensure sensitive information is appropriately protected in line with GDPR obligations

Automated archiving and deep archiving to prevent the accumulation of outdated documents, maintain a streamlined Microsoft Teams working environment and support effective information retention and governance

Results

20% of staff hours released every month

Efficiency savings of 20% of staff hours per month from automated document management alone

Capacity released for staff to focus on high value work, including supporting general practices and delivering wider strategic priorities

Increased operational resilience. Embedding automation in everyday workflows improved consistency and data governance, and reduced reliance on manual processes

What the client said

“Working with fiftyminds has been an excellent experience from the outset. What particularly impressed us was how quickly they developed an understanding of Devon LMC, the unique nature of our organisation and the complexities of how we operate. That understanding has been invaluable in ensuring the solutions developed are genuinely tailored to our needs rather than simply applying technology for technology's sake.

Communication has been consistently excellent throughout, something we place considerable value on as a client, and their collaborative, responsive and practical approach has made the whole experience a very positive one. It has been a genuine pleasure working with the team, and we look forward to building on what we have achieved together.”

Hannah BaxterDirector of Operations, Devon LMC

Technology used

SharePoint Power Automate Microsoft Foundry Azure Functions Microsoft Graph Document Intelligence Teams Search

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