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Merging 3 Large NHS Trusts Into One Strategy and Architecture

Mid and South Essex University Hospitals NHS Group, consisting of three acute hospital Trusts, aimed to unify its operations under a shared services model to enhance specialised care and efficiency. With a combined annual spend of £933 million and serving over 1.1 million people, the Group recognised technology as a key enabler of this transformation. However, previous consultations with technology providers left them without a clear, risk-mitigated, and cost-effective digital adoption strategy.

magnifying glass looking at servers

Mapped infrastructure & app architectures across six datacentres and three orgs

Lightbulb in front of dashboard showing dollar signs and charts

Crafted strategy and target architectures to meet NHS group objectives

Roadmap

Created an actionable roadmap for Trusts’ merger and IT service consolidation

The Problem

Mid & South Essex NHS faced significant challenges in modernising its digital infrastructure. Each hospital operated its own IT systems with little commonality, leading to inefficiencies and integration difficulties. Many of these systems were outdated, creating substantial technical debt that required expensive maintenance and updates. A lack of visibility over IT spending meant cost-saving opportunities were unclear, and the complexity of software licensing added further inefficiencies. Additionally, workforce mobility and collaboration were restricted due to fragmented digital tools, and siloed systems hindered effective data analytics and decision-making.

The Solution

To address these challenges, Mid & South Essex NHS engaged Shaping Cloud following a formal procurement process. A comprehensive IT infrastructure discovery and assessment was conducted across all hospital sites, creating an accurate baseline for transformation planning. A strategy aligned to the group’s objectives was developed, along with a target architecture and roadmap - ensuring a pragmatic and structured approach to digital adoption.

Key stakeholders, including CFOs and CCIOs, were actively engaged to align technology investments with business objectives. A fully costed three-year transformation programme was created to guide implementation, alongside the establishment of cloud tenancy foundations to enable future cloud-based services. Training sessions were provided for key personnel to ensure a smooth digital transition and adoption.

The Outcome

Through this initiative, Mid and South Essex NHS Trust successfully merged, streamlining applications, infrastructure, and IT operations to enhance service delivery to clinicians. They leveraged comprehensive asset registers and architecture diagrams, enabling efficient execution of their integration roadmap and optimal use of cloud technologies.

Detailed blueprints for identity and access management, endpoint management, hosting, data platform, and security solutions accelerated the Trust’s core technology transformation - facilitating collaboration and paving the way for a successful merger.

Backed by a solid business case and a detailed total cost of ownership (TCO) model from Shaping Cloud, the initiative secured necessary funding. Microsoft Azure training for the tech teams enhanced their skills, equipping them to manage a sophisticated hybrid-cloud environment effectively.

Training in Microsoft Azure upskilled internal tech teams to give them the capabilities they needed to execute on the plans and continue to manage their hybrid-cloud environment.

The insights gained from this project have enabled Mid & South Essex NHS to make informed decisions, enhance operational efficiency, and select market providers strategically. This structured and financially prudent approach to IT modernisation positions the Trust to improve patient care and foster innovation in healthcare delivery.

Hand holding a bag of money

Secured funding to deliver tech transformation

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Accelerated adoption of latest cloud solutions

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Successfully merged into one organisation