Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust has published its medium term plan, outlining ambitions for the next five years. The trust plans to develop its making data count dashboard, expand patient portal capability, and implement digital tools to improve patient access and system efficiency.
In year one for specialist mental health, it looks to the Crisis Care Coordination tool for digital triage, advice, and scheduling; to implementing full NHS App mental health capabilities; and to test solutions for improved discharge flow and reduced delays. Years two to five will then focus on roll-out and full utilisation of digital assessment tooling, patient portal development (year two) and go-live (year three), the adoption of all NHS App capabilities, and inpatient and discharge digitalisation with an identified system go-live across inpatient services.
For neighbourhoods, the trust anticipates rolling out point of care testing equipment across community teams, completing Accurx and EPR platform integration, and developing electronic prescribing in year one. For years two to five, this extends to full EPR integration across community services, expanded remote monitoring and digital health interventions, predictive analytics for demand management, and AI-enabled care coordination and predictive modelling. Transformation and delivery plans for children, young people, and families across the five years include data quality improvement planning, increased digital access, digital peer support, and the rollout of ambient voice technology.
Setting out a roadmap for clinical digital transformation, year one aims cover EPR optimisation and core infrastructure, community electronic prescribing, data quality enhancement and improved clinical coding, and improved accessibility. Year two aims include improved data capture for safety, optimised remote working and secure access, workforce digital literacy, Single Patient Record and Secure Data Environment access, AVT, and patient portal and NHS App optimisation. Years three to five will then reportedly look at optimising clinical workflows, developing dashboards for clinical and operational decision-making, AI to support flow and operational efficiencies, personalised care, predictive tools, embedding data science in practice, citizen-facing tools, and “safe embedded” use of AI.
EPR integration will also be a focus, with CWP hoping to improve usability and user interface in SystmOne, and to deliver five additional integrations in year one, ten in year two, and integration with “all willing partners with compatible systems” by year three. E-learning packages will be developed and deployed, a new pharmacy EPR solution for the dispensary will be implemented, and integration between pharmacy EPR solution (System C and SystmOne) is outlined for year two.
Other plans for years one to three cover the launch of Wayfinder for pilot teams for appointment and referral data, a pilot of AVT followed by expanded roll-out and review, a pilot of a digital solution for discharge planning, work to close critical vulnerabilities and improve standards in cyber, improved workforce digital literacy, and dashboard development. For automation specifically, the trust sets targets of year one for a review of Blue Prism and Power Automate options and the agreement of trust-wide ownership and governance; year two for agreeing a trust-wide automation strategy, platform standards, and funding approach; and year three for controlled expansion aligned to EPR optimisation and service priorities.
Wider trend: Digital maturity
HTN was joined by a panel including Ciara Moore, EPR operations director at Bath, Salisbury and Great Western Group, Stuart Cooney, CTO at Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, and Julian Wiggins, healthcare solution director at Rackspace Technology, for a discussion focusing on cloud adoption, AI maturity, and cyber resilience. Panellists explored how healthcare organisations are tackling delivery, legacy systems, and rising digital expectations, and what this means for future strategy and plans. We also looked at the fragmented cloud landscape, integration pressures, legacy infrastructure, AI, and the growing urgency around cyber resilience, finishing by asking where NHS leaders should prioritise investment and focus in 2026.
The latest figures from the Digital Maturity Assessment have been published, revealing the trusts reporting the lowest digital maturity, and their progress from 2024, from a self-assessment covering a total of 47 domains, forming a maturity score between 1-5. Bottom of the table is Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust (Acute) and Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust (Community), both scoring 1.5, up from 1.4 in 2024’s rankings. The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (Acute) is next with 1.6, down from 2.0 in 2024.
Sir James Mackey, chief executive at NHS England, has outlined next steps on planning and priorities for 2026/27 in an open letter to ICB and trust chief executives. Mackey starts by congratulating execs on progress toward operational targets on referral to treatment and urgent and emergency care, adding: “What we absolutely need to avoid is the risk that, while we are rightly focused on making 2026/27 a success, we miss maximising the opportunity the multi-year planning process gives us to stretch ourselves over the medium term and really bring the benefits of the 10 Year Health Plan to life.” Executives are therefore asked to begin to build out strategic commissioning narratives to focus on what strategic commissioning means for the local system and how it will be developed over the next three years; plans around neighbourhood care; whether changes to financial flows or payment are sought to help with delivery; and what more can be done at the centre to help drive pace of change locally. ICBs should provide a single document via regional teams to summarise the above points by 15 May.
