In a strategic case for the merger of Cambridgeshire Community Services (CCS) and Norfolk Community Health and Care (NCHC) trusts plans for digital and data integration and the anticipated benefits of combined digital capabilities, have been outlined. “The success of the proposed merger and delivery of the expected benefits depends in large measure on getting digital and data integration right,” the boards consider.
A new CIO has been recruited to help bring together the two trust’s digital teams, with the boards committing to a “digital-first” approach to improving quality of care, safety, and financial efficiency. Clinical aims will be supported by digital and technology, including remote monitoring of long-term conditions, virtual clinic appointments, and virtual wards.
Benefits of the merger are hoped to include the ability to create a larger pool of IT resource to be deployed flexibly across the organisation, with trust-specific strengths highlighted such as CCS’s track record in app development and process automation, and NCHC’s reputation for providing digital services and support to system partners. Boards also discuss the potential for more cost-effective procurement from combined purchasing power, reduced duplication in reporting and system maintenance, and less information sharing difficulties due to new status as a single legal entity.
CCS and NCHC discuss the ways digital will support the clinical agenda, citing a shared health and care record, options such as remote consultations and assessments for accessing care, AI to support rapid diagnosis and reduce waits, and the deployment of new solutions to increase responsiveness and control for patients in booking appointments.
On challenges, the boards highlight that there are currently a range of digital systems in use across both CCS and NCHC, with separate approaches also to the delivery of service support. It will reportedly be the newly-appointed CIO’s responsibility to identify “the best systems and equipment” of those available, and to promote standardisation and efficiency moving forward. “In addition, the digital capability and readiness for digitally-driven change of our front line colleagues is mixed, and is low in some cases,” CCS and NCHC add.
Next steps for the merger cover drafting a joint digital strategy aligned with an ongoing programme of colleague engagement and training, a detailed audit of combined digital workforce by band and function, the cataloguing of digital systems and budgets, and a review of the digital maturity of each trust. Standard practices will be agreed to be adopted across the new merged team.
The new digital strategy is “likely to include” a number of focuses, across increasing capacity to generate population health data, developing automation capability, investing in the development of workforce digital skills, working on interoperability of systems, investing in AI to support clinical diagnosis, and the joint procurement of digital system replacements.
Wider trend: Collaborations, mergers, and joint strategies from across the NHS
South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust and George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust boards have discussed their shared EPR programme, noting a go live of October 2026, the need to progress at pace, and highlighting the potential costs if the programme delays. EPR localisation sessions are underway to review the current EPR system and workflows with a view to assessing impact on trust processes, as well as potential clinical and operational risks. A mitigation plan has also been agreed, with Oracle Health and Innovate leads reviewing workflows, and a localisation tracker being shared with UHCW to identify areas requiring their input.
West and North London (WNL) ICB has shared its strategy development, covering plans for digital-first and community pathways, digital infrastructure, interoperability and real-time data, and integrated teams. A joint ICT merger delivery group has been established across the two ICBs, and is said to already be making “positive progress” through December and January. Aims are to enable the sharing of files seamlessly across the ICBs, enabling collaborative work on projects, and forming a single email domain. The team will be working to enable all staff to work from any location across the two sites, and to “run future IT procurement strategically, with a view to standardising contracts as and when the existing contracts expire”. Both ICBs are now reported to be undertaking the Data Security Protection Toolkit process early, to ensure data security.
Greater Manchester Mental Health (GMMH) NHS Foundation Trust and Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust have published a joint Digital and Data Strategy for 2026 – 2031, aiming to transform the model for mental health, learning disabilities and autism, and to introduce a new operating model underpinned by digital and data. An interoperable EPR, a digital front door, the use of AI and automation, modern data platforms, remote monitoring, NHS App use, regional data interoperability, and the decommissioning of legacy systems, are all key objectives aligning with the wider Greater Manchester ICB Digital Transformation Strategy, the trusts state.
