Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has shared details of its digital transformation journey to date and future plans for digital and information delivery to 2029 in its latest board meeting.
Progress has continued towards being a digitally-enabled organisation, according to the trust, with key initiatives including 1,000 CoPilot licenses being rolled out over summer 2026 to test the value of AI in high-volume administrative processes and decision support systems. Electronic prescribing and medicines administration has been deployed across a number of inpatient wards, and “increased use of shared data” is highlighted as helping to support integrated working and population health management.
A successful upgrade has been made to the Rio EPR system, the Birmingham Shared Care Record has been updated by digitising ReSPECT forms, and a new patient portal has been delivered in partnership with Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health. A digital risk management system is in use to grant visibility on incidents, near misses, complaints, and risks across the organisation, BCH notes, whilst an updated approach has been developed to data protection and information risk.
By 2028, patients will experience simpler, more accessible, and more joined-up care, according to BCH, with digital available as a default route, and virtual, tech-enabled, and remote care bringing care closer to home. Clinical teams will have a single digital patient record and reduced admin burden through automation, and digital will support neighbourhood health, with Shared Care Records, interoperable systems, and improved data supporting safer transitions of care. A future operating model will establish a digital-first working environment, end-t0-end virtual care pathways, automation and AI-enabled processes, shared information flows, and a digitally confident workforce.
2026/27 focuses cover targeted automation to reduce high-volume admin, ambient voice pilots in clinical settings, and the use of its Shared Care Record in priority pathways. For 2027/28, this will shift to a data storage refresh aligned to cloud strategy, embedded Shared Care Record use, adoption of ambient voice at scale, eReferrals, and Digital Academy expansion. By 2028/29, the trust will be looking to data centre replacement, cloud migration, and the use of information as a “strategic asset”.
Success will be measured by the extent to which digital, data, and tech deliver “tangible, measurable improvements” in patient experience, workforce productivity and confidence, service integration, information quality, and organisational resilience, BCH states. A sustained productivity improvement of around two percent per annum is expected, supported by automation and digital workflows, with measurable reduction in administrative effort, and demonstrable evidence of time released back to care.
“Progress will be considered alongside qualitative evidence, service feedback and case studies, recognising that some benefits of digital delivery are cumulative and not fully captured through metrics alone,” the trust adds.
Wider trend: Digital transformation in NHS trusts
University College London Hospitals has shared a series of digital transformation plans and priorities in its five-year strategy to 2031, with plans to redesign care pathways with remote monitoring, digital tools to support care being delivered outside of hospitals, and to focus on information sharing via joined-up digital systems. UCLH highlights its work with a national initiative to integrate the Epic EHR with the NHS electronic prescription service, with an aim to create a model that other trusts will be able to replicate. Under the initiative, outpatient and some discharge prescriptions will be sent to community pharmacies to enable them to be collected locally.
Dorset County Hospital and Dorset HealthCare have updated on digital progress and priorities for 2026/27, highlighting ongoing work on EHR implementation, primary care integration, infrastructure improvements, and a target operating model. “Good progress” is being made on EHR implementation, with the trusts citing strong recruitment and alignment of system workstreams. Primary care integration is reportedly underway, and overall delivery is rated “on track”. Work is continuing on the trust’s target operating model and leadership structure, and the board offered assurance on improvements to system capability and infrastructure, plans to enhance access and user experience, and legacy issues.
Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust board has highlighted digital in supporting its stroke recovery programme, recent EPR upgrades, progress with ambient voice technology, and a need for the trust to modernise systems going forward. The digital stroke recovery programme is in place as a result of a partnership with iCareiMove, the trust shares. The 12-week programme, ReNeu, is designed to support people in the weeks following a stroke diagnosis, to bring together NHS physiotherapy and “evidence-informed digital delivery”, with live sessions, peer support, and learning resources. Due to its digital delivery model, the trust hopes it will improve accessibility for those experiencing barriers to traditional stroke care.
