Suffolk and North East Essex (SNEE) ICB, has shared an update on digital progress as part of the board’s latest meeting in March, highlighting work underway and benefits realisation on shared care records, future systems, digitising social care, EPR, and more.
Priorities that the system is working toward span an ICS-wide cyber strategy and system response procedure, having a single EPaCCS system, enabling a unified approach to digital care, ensuring all care providers have a digital social care record and connection to the social care integration platform to enable interoperability with the shared care record, and developing a long-term shared care record strategy looking at linking with ICSs in the region.
On its shared care record, a PRSB evaluation summary has been completed, whilst the system recorded its highest ever usage in January 2025 of 175,131, a reported increase of 21,908 since January 2024, with increased engagement from 17 out of 20 partners.
The programme status for EPR has decreased to “watch”, which the update reports is “due to an increase in the number of areas off track which are being addressed via executive involvement”. However, it does note an upward trend in data migration following an “intense focus” on validation, adding that a second independent application review to assess build quality has taken place. Pilot areas for EpicCare Link in primary care have been agreed, and go-live preparation is underway. According to the programme timeline, the testing and readiness phase should be completed by June 2025, with training due to take place from July to September, followed by go-live in October.
Elsewhere, the ICS is making progress on cyber security, with a cyber security incident response exercise report issued to all participants and the ICB board audit committee, and the continued development of its CyINTer (Cyber Intelligence) system which will “provide a real-time DSPT/CAF Dashboard”. A common data environment strategy is in development, and a digital change strategy is currently undergoing local peer review.
Sharing details from its benefits realisation work, SNEE reports a net benefit of £127 million (including non cash benefits of £130 million) from its shared care records programme, or a return on investment (ROI) of 4,233 percent; and a benefit of £120 million (including non cash benefits of £130 million) and an ROI of 1,200 percent for its enabling unified digital care programme, including virtual wards.
Key milestones for the year ahead include discovery work around the shared care record and a potential forms pilot, an October go-live date for EPR, cyber security DSPT and a smart room concept design for the future systems workstream scheduled for June.
Updates on ICS digital transformation
The Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland board shared an insight into digital progress in the region, noting plans to publish a new digital strategy for 2025 – 2028 and work to date on the primary care access recovery plan.
NHS Devon’s five year Joint Forward Plan to 2030, published as part of the ICB’s March meeting, has highlighted the role of digital in achieving the system’s strategic aims, and noted the importance of progress on the Devon and Cornwall Care Record and the One Devon Dataset.
The second instalment of HTN’s ICS regions series focuses on the North West, featuring the latest developments on digital and data from each ICS, along with insights from Rackspace Technology, Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board, Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust and Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust.
