ICB Region Series: South West
Welcome to the latest instalment of our ICB region series for 2026, where we take a deep dive into what’s happening with digital and data across the South West region. We’ll explore pilots and innovations, strategies, case studies, and insights from the sector.
Digital strategy, digital plans and priorities
Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire three year digital strategy, single EPR, cloud by default, community digital front door
Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire (BSW) ICB’s latest digital strategy to 2029 is based on five strategic themes. These cover digitally empowering the population, supporting the workforce through digital innovation, using data to focus decision making, delivering strong digital and data foundations, and protecting patients and staff with “robust” cybersecurity.
According to the strategy roadmap, in 2026 BSW’s focus will be on launching its community digital front door, aiming to achieve a ten percent increase in use of the integrated care record, deliver clinical and administrative AI pilots, embed population health tools across the system, and launch the Healthier Together App.
In 2027, ambitions include twice as many patients being supported by Hospital at Home, all neighbourhoods using BSW population health tools for proactive care, and implementation of a single acute EPR. 2028-29 will then look to reach >60 percent of patients reporting ease in contacting their GP practice through the NHS App, to achieve a unified ICS cyber score of >90 percent, and to secure a single order comms solution.
Consistency in digital delivery is to be achieved through a series of agreed digital design principles including cyber security being at the centre of all digital solutions, use of cloud by default in new solution design, information governance, data privacy, and clinical safety considered from the outset, and the avoidance of data siloes by ensuring new systems can share data via open APIs and feed data into the BSW integrated care record. Being clear on the need, making use of what is already in place, collaboration on procurements, the use of case studies from elsewhere, and service-led transformation and design, are other key areas identified.
On its “first in type tri-trust integrated EPR”, the ICB focuses on creating a single, shared digital platform across three acute trusts, replacing fragmented systems with an integrated solution. According to BSW, the programme also aims to standardise workflows and clinical templates to streamline processes and improve efficiencies. Other plans include embedding a cloud-first strategy across the ICB and GP sites, a focus on sustainable IT procurement, and work on device rationalisation.
Dorset digital strategy outlines plans across interoperability, data sharing, building digital skills and capability
The Our Dorset digital strategy to 2030 shares the aim to create a “seamless, integrated digital ecosystem that empowers staff, improves patient experiences, and leverages emerging technologies like AI to deliver equitable, efficient, and person-centred care across all health and social care settings”.
The strategy is centred around four strategic themes: efficiency and productivity; safe use; digitise, connect, transform; and research and innovation. It also sets out four objectives to be achieved over the next five years to cover: building a sustainable digital workforce, transforming how patients access and engage with healthcare, building an ecosystem where data drives decision-making, and creating a culture of continuous learning around digital roles, training, and development.
Outlining how care will be enabled across settings, Our Dorset points to insights from a digital strategy questionnaire in which only eight out of 421 respondents felt digital systems supported joined-up care “extremely well”. It cites uneven digital maturity and poor interoperability across sites as contributing factors. In the future, work will be done toward granting every clinician and patient in Dorset secure access to the right information, via “systems that talk to each other across all care settings”. Digital decisions will be made once and will prioritise long-term value over short-term fixes, and tech will enable proactive, preventative, and personalised care through areas such as a single patient record and AI diagnostics.
Specifically, actions to be taken to better enable joined-up care include using FHIR API standards to ensure systems can communicate and share data effectively, centralising EPRs to include more care settings and data, and eliminating paper. Decisions and governance over digital strategy will be delivered as a system, with shared ownership, co-creation, data sharing agreements, and technology to support collaboration and standardised working.
Plans for Gloucestershire ICB look to “digital-by-default” approach
In a recent meeting, the board of Gloucestershire ICB set out plans to focus on a “digital-by-default” approach to patient access incorporating the NHS App and AI-supported tools. Care will be transformed for those with multiple long-term conditions with the rollout of patient-initiated follow-ups and digital options where clinically appropriate, it states. “We will expect partners to maximise the use of technology, ensuring that information is shared effectively- whether with the public (using functionality such as the NHS App) or between staff working in health and care across organisations,” the board shares. “Partners will invest in upskilling staff to thrive in a digitally enabled health system including embedding digital literacy across roles and reducing duplication to improve efficiency and service quality.”
Priorities will include the development of digital plans to ensure information sharing underpins the delivery of neighbourhood health, according to the ICB, with this to cover personalised care, electronic prescribing, and outpatient electronic ordering. It also outlines expectations for neighbourhood plans to be developed for estates, digital, and workforce for priority groups of people including older people living with frailty, people living with moderate and complex multimorbidity, and people with mental health needs, relying on digital information sharing across integrated neighbourhood teams.
Ambitions for the next three years include introducing digital care planning and care tracking capabilities, piloting ambient voice technology in a variety of settings, and moving to cloud only servers for GP practices, the ICB states in its green plan.
Green plan offers insight into digital objectives at Cornwall and Isles of Scilly ICB
A recently published System Net Zero Delivery Plan has revealed main focuses around digital and data at Cornwall and Isles of Scilly ICB, expanding digital care opportunities and looking to digital tools and remote care to help reduce emissions. As part of this, the board commits to reducing the carbon footprint of digital hardware, software, and services; completing digital asset mapping and risk assessments; standardising systems for interoperability and reduced energy use; embedding sustainability in procurement; and introducing carbon foot printing for digital activity.
Equipment will be procured with longer device lifetimes, the ICB shares, whilst digital suppliers will be engaged, good data hygiene practices will be followed, and outcomes from new digital tools will be monitored. It outlines commitments to accelerating the adoption of digital-first pathways in provider contracting such as virtual consultations and remote monitoring; and to embedding digital solutions in contracting requirements, ensuring providers use tech that can lower operational carbon footprints and enhance service quality.
Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire highlight Microsoft investment and tech for neighbourhood health
In a recent meeting, the board of Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) offered a series of updates around its digital plans and priorities, including a “significant” investment toward the Microsoft 365 transition, adoption of collaborative tools such as Teams, and early piloting of Copilot. The board reported “tangible time savings and improvements to workflow” during the pilot phase, and that an iterative design approach had been used with “power user” groups and Copilot cafes.
Power Platform and Power Automate have been deployed with the intention of streamlining processes, the ICB states, and more than 6,000 GP and ICB devices have been migrated to Windows 11. Technology-enabled care has been rolled out to over 1,200 local people, with plans to extend this out into Gloucestershire once the formal evaluation report for the current phase is completed. Also noted were updates that infrastructure for the South West Secure Data Environment has been established, and progress is being made with acute partners on a system-wide cyber security strategy.
Looking ahead, Work Anywhere is delivering foundational infrastructure for neighbourhood care, but the board acknowledges that “longer-term neighbourhood digital requirements would likely necessitate bespoke procurement”, with existing tools like shared care planning currently being adapted for wider community use.
Devon ICB offers latest on One Devon EPR
Rollout of the One Devon EPR continues across Devon, with the ICB recently sharing progress and next steps as the programme goes through its third phase around training and go-live. Partnership working is underway on the adoption of standardised clinical, operational, and administrative pathways, the board states, with Torbay and South Devon going live over Easter, and go-live scheduled for 23 July 2026 at University Hospitals Plymouth. “The implementation of our Devon-wide Epic EPR is the largest digital transformation ever undertaken within the Devon healthcare system and will transform our entire way of working,” it continues.
Somerset ICB on primary care digital transformation
The board of NHS Somerset met recently, sharing insights into current digital priorities and programmes including improving the primary-secondary care interface. The ICB notes that it has actively engaged with the national PCN primary care pilot, working with local partners to develop approaches that support neighbourhood working, and looking to focus on improving the primary-secondary care interface. The involvement of two local pilot sites, Frome and Mendip, has helped to identify and address cross-boundary issues, it goes on, “which will be particularly valuable as we move into cluster working”. Aside from insights into operational impact, system benefits around improved access, and enhanced MDT integration, the pilot programme highlighted challenges with establishing consistent metrics across primary care, “particularly in relation to variation in data capture and interpretation across different settings”, the board shares.
Digital has been a key features in the programme, according to the ICB, with the introduction of online registrations, automated filing of results, and ambient voice technology, and the implementation of clinical safety officers to support safe use of digital tools. Now in its final year, learnings are being shared across the local system, helping to drive practical improvements and feeding into national discussions around the general practice contract and neighbourhood health. Elsewhere, digital interoperability has reportedly improved across the system, with standard operating procedures being finalised and access being expanded to the Somerset Integrated Digital eRecord.
Restore Information Management on tackling the shift to digital, future-proofing information strategy, and realising the benefits of digitisation
We caught up with Simon McNair, head of business development at Restore Information Management, who shared insights from his work helping NHS organisations to tackle challenges around managing legacy records and making the transition to digital. “We particularly look to offer support in using technology to extract better value from the data held by NHS organisations, which can be critical to clinical decision-making,” he explained. “Also, with the shift to prevention, through access to the data, particularly as it’s being centralised around the Single Patient Record and national document repositories.”
Reflecting on the change happening within the healthcare sector at the moment, Simon talked about the “clear direction” set out within the 10-Year Plan from analogue to digital, structural changes being made to how funding is distributed, and the more complex landscape for ICBs in terms of delivering care to patients. Recent progress on digitisation doesn’t detract from the fact that some of the processes involving paper records that it is replacing have been in place for decades, he considered, “and I think the challenge is in that transition from a paper way of working to a digital way of working, benefitting from the technology and platforms now available offering better communication, better visibility, and better ways for patients to manage their care”.
For ICBs, the key is “understanding what you have, minimising your holding in terms of records and data in line with retention programmes, and then enabling clinicians to access the information they need efficiently to improve patient care,” Simon told us. “It’s also about a level of system or centralised support, for example going out to practices to support with information management, compliance, and so on.” There has been significant investment at national and regional level in technology that can help NHS organisations particularly in the primary care space to operate more efficiently, he continued, “a good example would be the National Document Repository, which has created a central database for GP and primary care records that the whole network can access”.
Effective ICB estates strategy
Central considerations for ICBs looking to develop estates strategies include consistent funding, gaining an understanding of real estate footprint and the costs associated with current records management practices, and exploring how digitisation could reduce that burden. “The byproduct of that is reducing operating costs,” said Simon, “or reusing and repurposing real estate in a more efficient way”. Progress on frontline digitisation, ensuring every organisation has an EPR, and the subsequent availability of data to improve patient outcomes has meant not only less paper records, but also more compliance, and better access to data when it’s needed, in the format it is needed, for clinicians.
“For NHS organisations that may have offsite warehouses and different medical records stores, coming out of those sites offers a reduction in ongoing operational cost, because you’re no longer paying the rent, the rates, etc.,” Simon considered. “We know the NHS is operating under huge space constraints, so if there’s a chance to repurpose the records room in a GP surgery into another consulting room, for example, there’s benefit there, which is multiplied up again if you look at that at a large trust.”
Future-proofing information strategies and moving toward a hybrid model
It’s becoming increasingly important to future-proof information strategies to make room for emerging technologies like AI, Simon noted, and the opportunities they may offer to increase productivity and patient choice. “It’s about using technology in a way that allows for more effective information management,” he said, “particularly where that information is hybrid – how do you apply automated retention processes, how do you manage requests to access that information, and how can you surface what you need quickly and easily?” Used properly, technologies such as AI can help improve retention practices and compliance, reduce administrative burden, free-up both clinical and operational time, and extract greater value from data, he added.
“Whether records and information are in paper or digital format, the key piece is having a really effective policy in place that is deployed consistently across the organisation,” Simon told us. “At a foundation level, it’s about having a robust approach to managing information, information governance, and programmes around compliance.” He suggested designating information asset owners, and ensuring clear cybersecurity protocols are in place, whether information is being managed or held within the NHS or with the involvement of third parties.
Best practices and key considerations
Moving on to think about what ICBs should consider when shaping their information strategies, Simon highlighted that there remains “quite a bit of work to be done” on addressing core foundations of how physical and digital records are managed. “In a significant number of projects we’ve done across both primary and secondary care involving large-scale uplifts of records, digitisation on demand based on patient need or patient appointment, as opposed to trying to just digitise everything, has worked more effectively,” he shared. “Having a clear plan and a roadmap, with funding in place, has led to greater success, in our experience, and having a single system to manage the patient record, along with a single view of the patient record, is a good starting point.”
For Restore Information Management, it’s about getting organisations to a point where they have minimised their records holding, are digitising based on an intelligent view of what’s required by clinicians, and making sure that’s accessible on platforms and systems in use across the NHS, Simon explained. “Our role, and where that’s worked well, is where those programmes are funded and very joined-up, because it’s part of a much bigger transformation programme – the part that we do often enables some of the effective investments in systems and a single view on the patient record, and those major EPR investments that the NHS has made.”
Talking about the positive direction set out by the 10-Year Plan, Simon considered how Restore Information Management is well positioned to offer at-scale, secure, and experienced guidance. “We can bring our expertise to focus on a task that the NHS essentially doesn’t have the bandwidth or the resources to do itself,” he said. “When it comes to the aims of the 10-Year Plan, and particularly moving from analogue to digital and getting a single view of the patient record, we can help tackle what is still an enormous challenge, despite sizeable process being made over the last three years or so.”
These challenges are already being addressed in practice. A recent programme delivered with NHS Birmingham & Solihull Integrated Care Board shows how a system‑wide approach to information management can support the transition from paper to digital at scale. By securely digitising over one million patient records across 160 GP practices, the ICB was able to improve access to information, strengthen governance, and support more joined‑up care across the system.
Insights from the South West region
Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICB awards contract for digital MSK self-management
Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICB has awarded a contract with a total value of £206,692 to getUBetter for a digital MSK self-management platform. The platform is intended to support patients across primary, secondary, and community care in the region with common MSK injuries and conditions. Patients may be directed to the app at any point in the MSK management pathway, for help to self-manage their recovery and general health.
NHS Devon ICB awards CHS Healthcare digital person management system contract
NHS Devon ICB has awarded a contract to CHS Healthcare Software Limited for the provision of a continuing healthcare end-to-end person management system, designed to connect the entire lifecycle into one platform. The ICB hopes to use CHS Healthcare’s digital solution to replace two existing systems, including an “off-the-shelf record system” at Devon ICB and a bespoke system in Torbay and South Devon. It will be used to “deliver enhanced transformation across all spectrums of the service”, improve the flow of information between multiple processes and manage Devon’s caseload as well as their combined legacy data, which is made up of around 3,000 records, according to the ICB.
Key requirements for the project include interoperability to “support improved accessibility and visibility of data” and a “service-wide transformation” to be implemented across clinical, business, performance, finance and contracting, commissioning and other health and social care areas.
Somerset ICB health data survey informs development of linked data platform
A survey from Somerset ICB in collaboration with Healthwatch Somerset, has aimed to collect feedback from local residents on the use of their health data to inform the development of the Somerset Linked Data Platform. Submissions will support the ICB in the Linked Data Platform’s development, with the aim of anonymously linking health and social care data to improve understandings of local needs, tailor services, and enable earlier intervention. The survey asked respondents to share their awareness and acceptance of other uses of their data outside of patient care, such as in planning services and improving public health, as well as its potential to be shared or linked with other public services.
The current focus is on building the “integration and governance layer” that will join data together and make sense of different coding and terminology. According to Somerset, the decision to undertake this work in-house is inspired by the “large number” of system partners needing to be linked, some of whom do not use NHS numbers as common identifiers. The ICB commented: “Building the logic to enable this work to be automated is not something we can buy off the shelf. Managing this process proactively ourselves is critical to minimise risk.”
