NHS England and Microsoft have agreed a five-year deal to provide all NHS organisations with access to Microsoft 365 productivity tools.
It means all NHS staff will be able to use Microsoft 365 apps, such as Office 365, with the deal also including Microsoft security solutions, providing capabilities for threat protection, data governance and compliance.
The new five-year agreement will include access to Microsoft products and “will also provide the opportunity to introduce further innovative tools from other suppliers in the future”.
John Quinn, chief information officer at NHS England, said: “This new five-year agreement will mean we can create a platform for innovation so that NHS workers always have the latest digital tools to help them focus on frontline care.
“We’ve seen huge benefits following our original agreement with Microsoft in 2020, whether using Microsoft Teams to make it quicker and easier to arrange meetings or other digital tools that mean more time can be spent supporting patients.”
In March, HTN welcomed Barnsley Hospital NHS as part of HTN Now, where the trust shared how it has leveraged the Microsoft national tenant for virtual consultations.
Quinn added: “As the NHS turns 75, this deal is part of a long history of the health service adapting to make use of the latest and greatest innovations available to deliver more productive and joined up services for patients, and gives us a strong platform to build on for the future.
“This is a further great example of the NHS using our collective buying power to secure market-leading products at a reduced cost for taxpayers, and our contract with Bytes means we can also explore opportunities to introduce new innovative technology over the coming years.”
Clare Barclay, chief executive officer, Microsoft UK, commented: “This agreement will ensure that NHS organisations can accelerate their recovery from Covid-19, reform ways of working through collaboration tools and build resilience through a modern, secure, cloud-based infrastructure.”
