NHS England has published two pipeline notices indicating upcoming opportunities for digital delivery partners to support its urgent and emergency care agenda, and to provide DevOps services for NHS England Directorates.
The first notice, which seeks a digital delivery partner to provide DevOps services into a variety of NHS Directorates, is expected to run from the end of September 2026 for a total of two years. The total value is anticipated to be £19million excluding VAT.
The second notice outlines the intention to find a DevOps delivery partner to support the urgent and emergency care agenda across NHS Pathways, data, interoperability, and digital services like 111 online. Initially set to run from around August 2027 to August 2030, NHSE also suggests a two-year contract extension to August 2032 may be possible.
Both opportunities are reportedly suitable for SMEs, and both will be procured via Crown Commercial Service – RM6345 Digital Capability for Health 2 under PCR 2015.
Any upcoming procurements will be subject to budgetary approval, NHS England states.
Wider trend: NHS England
NHS England has issued guidance for regions and ICBs setting out practical planning instructions for developing neighbourhood health centres, highlighting the role of digital in connectivity, integration, and enablement. ICBs and regions are encouraged to look at the interaction between their physical estate and digital transformation as part of the planning process, with key factors including the possibility of a reduction in space requirements due to modern general practice models, and requirements for the neighbourhood workforce to have access to shared digital systems. NHSE notes that progress is about consolidating and better using existing estate as much as creating new facilities. Whilst some may not be supportive of modern patient care, it continues, other estate may have the potential to offer additional capacity for neighbourhood health services via improved utilisation, supported with digital pathways, redesigned workflows, or reconfiguration of services.
NHS England has shared a series of updates towards digital-by-default, drawing on findings from the digital maturity assessment and the EPR usability survey, to outline next steps as the focus shifts from deployment to optimisation. Latest findings from the DMA suggest “real progress” is being made across the system in terms of core digital capabilities, NHSE highlights. “However, there is more to be gained — particularly through better integration, optimisation, and developing skills and governance.” Likewise, although the EPR usability survey demonstrates high rates of EPR adoption, it considers there is “room to improve” for measures such as usability, training, and workflow integration. Whilst 93 percent of trusts have an EPR in place, only 30 percent report having fully integrated, bi-directional data flows, which NHSE identifies as an opportunity to strengthen system-wide connectivity and information sharing.
Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust has received funding from NHS England to lead on the roll-out of functionality allowing patients to manage their appointments and visits directly from the NHS App. The trust’s implementation will be shared with 11 NHS trusts using SystmOne across the country. Once live, information from the trust’s EPR will enable patients to view previous and upcoming appointments, receive appointment notifications and documents, and book, cancel, or amend their appointment details, in the NHS App. It also allows patients to fill in questionnaires to update their records, helping trusts to stay informed. As lead trust for the national roll-out, Humber Teaching has committed to sharing learnings, documents, and processes to support others with onboarding.
