North West London and North Central London ICBs have issued a preliminary market engagement notice outlining an intent to procure an end-to-end digital solution for complex care clinical commissioning across the merged West and North London (WNL) ICB.
With a budget up to £3.8 million, the solution will aim to replace outdated systems across both organisations, promoting resilience within the complex care service, reducing unwarranted variation, improving data accuracy and visibility, and introducing workflows and automation.
According to the ICB, the solution will also support the transition to a new operating model and “transformational” ways of working, empowering users with dedicated portals to support user experience.
Interested providers are invited to attend a virtual market engagement event which will outline requirements and expectations, allowing WNL to gauge whether these are “achievable within the financial envelope available”, and offering an opportunity for suggestions on possible improvements and efficiencies.
The event will be held on Teams on 25 March, 10 – 11am. Providers are asked to register interest via the Atamis Portal on Pre-procurement Project C429796 NWL ICB and NCL ICB Complex Care Clinical Commissioning Digital System. Feedback on the current specification can also be provided by 8 April.
The ICB recently shared its strategy development and plans for digital following its merger, outlining digital-first and community pathways, digital infrastructure, interoperability and real-time data, and integrated teams.
Wider trend: digital transformation in the London region
West London NHS Trust’s latest digital strategy for 2025 – 2030 has been submitted for board approval, centred around six pillars, to cover robust infrastructure, cyber, systems optimisation, data and insights, AI and innovation, and empowering people. Estimated capital investment for the delivery of the digital strategy is £29 million, to be phased over five years, with “clear milestones and benefits realisation targets”. Years one and two will look to develop “strong foundations”, taking a look at existing systems, standardising workflows, establishing clear governance, and assessing digital literacy. Years two to four will focus on optimisation and interoperability, and longer term priorities in years four and five cover transformation at scale, system-wide interoperability, seamless digital care, and data-driven insight for proactive health management.
South West London ICB has shared an update on its current cyber assurance and details of system-wide cyber improvement activities, extending to progress around governance and promoting alignment with provider organisations. The update follows news that the ICB’s digital team has secured more than £1 million in funding from NHS England to support its delivery of the SWL Cyber Strategy in 2025/26. For 2025/26, the ICB lists key priorities that include strengthening governance, ensuring board-level accountability, establishing a cyber assurance committee, introducing a unified risk management framework across the system, and improving transparency and consistency in risk reporting and mitigation. A centralised inventory will be created of critical systems and suppliers, along with a centralised monitoring and detection capability, and an impact analysis to inform incident response planning.
North Central London ICB has shared its intention to award a contract worth £405k to Kooth Digital Health Limited, for the supply of an early intervention online counselling and digital support service for children and young people aged 11-25. The two-year contract is set to run until 31 March 2028, and includes the provision of a safe online platform with drop-in and booked 1:1 text-based counselling services available Monday to Friday 12:00 – 22:00, and weekends 18:00 – 22:00.
