NECS

Implementing TPP SystmOne at Hospice Care North Northumberland

Lynne Cooke — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 12:02:54 +0000

Hospice Care North Northumberland (HCNN), established in 1995, provides end of life care, family bereavement support, and dementia services across the North Northumberland region.

To modernise its paper-based processes and improve the quality and responsiveness of care, HCNN commissioned the Digital Transformation and Optimisation Service (DTOS) team to implement an electronic patient record system tailored to its service needs, namely TPP SystmOne.

The new system, launched in February 2026, has transformed the way the hospice records and accesses patient information. Staff now benefit from real time access to clinical records, enabling faster decision making, reducing duplication, and minimising the risk of errors. Patients and families are experiencing more personalised and coordinated support, while the organisation has
strengthened its reporting capability and increased its potential for securing future funding.

The introduction of digital workflows has also enhanced collaboration among healthcare professionals, ensuring that those involved in a patient’s care can share information instantly and work together more effectively.

The challenge

HCNN lacked an integrated Electronic Patient Record (EPR), while partner multidisciplinary teams used digital systems that allow them to share and view patient information electronically. As a result, HCNN’s paper-based processes caused delays in receiving essential clinical information and reduce visibility of records held by community partners, including GP practices. This led to delays in receiving previous or current treatment information, incomplete or missing data, and a fragmented approach to care.

Staff also faced inefficiencies such as limited access to safeguarding status, diagnosis, and medication details; duplication of demographic information across multiple documents; repeated reporting entries; and the risk of lost records when relatives do not return paper files after a patient’s death. As a charity reliant on external funding, the lack of electronic reporting also restricted the ability to collate data that could support future funding opportunities.

Our approach

In preparation for go live, several key prerequisites were identified early in the project. The team supported the service in securing its Organisation Data Service (ODS) code and completing the Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA), which was validated against the IG Toolkit. During this process, an issue was identified where the service’s IG Toolkit entry had been published incorrectly. The DTOS team worked quickly to resolve this, preventing any delays to the planned February 2026 go live.

DTOS collaborated closely with the hospice to understand its operational requirements, guiding the team through the completion of the questionnaire and order form required by TPP to determine the appropriate Unit type for the service. The project team then engaged with the two key service leads to develop a clear project timeline, setting out milestones and deliverables, and ensuring the hospice fully understood the implications of a short notice change freeze announced by TPP for over the Christmas period, which could have affected the go live dates.

Once the initial challenges surrounding Unit lead times were resolved, DTOS’s training lead and business change and benefits lead worked in partnership with the service to ensure all staff received the right level of training. This involved:

Accommodating varied work patterns
Mapping existing processes to enable a seamless configuration of the new unit
Ensuring all smartcards were issued with the correct access permissions
Configuring and preparing 18 laptops to provide secure access to SystmOne.

The results

The service successfully went live on 3 February 2026 as planned, having proactively registered all new patients on SystmOne ahead of the launch date. Staff made full use of the clinical and non clinical templates within the system and conducted weekly report runs to ensure that all key performance indicators (KPIs) were being captured accurately and utilised the training team supporting them in their post go live phase.

To support seamless information sharing, neighbouring GP practices were advised to add the hospice’s unit to their SystmOne sharing in rules. This enabled instant access, with the patient’s permission, to relevant patient records for those under HCNN’s care, providing clinicians with up to date medical histories. As a result, the service has been able to make faster clinical decisions, reduce omissions in information and strengthen its reporting capabilities for future planning and funding opportunities.

The success of the implementation was further reinforced by the positive engagement and leadership shown across the service. Led by Lindsay Black and Ann Corak, the team demonstrated a strong willingness to embrace change and adopt new digital ways of working. Their commitment and proactive involvement played a crucial role in ensuring a smooth transition to the new electronic system.

Looking ahead, the service is continuing to enhance its digital maturity through the gradual introduction of new functionality. This includes onboarding Great North Care Record access and exploring tools such as the BRIGID app to assess whether additional features could further meet service needs.

The customer feedback received at the end of the project was exceptionally positive. The formal feedback form highlighted the NECS team’s professionalism, the quality of the training delivered, and the smoothness of the overall project delivery. The service noted that the team was “a credit to NECS,” reflecting the strong relationships built throughout the deployment.

From Lindsay and the clinical team: “Thank you once again, Claire… it’s been a huge learning curve for me personally, and you have all been amazing to work with. We are already finding the system so helpful and giving us more continuity to run our service. Each day we are managing to do something else…

From Chief Executive, Chris Orife: “Thanks Claire, much appreciated, and it has been a smooth implementation from our point of view. We are grateful for your support to get us to this point. I’m sure we will have the usual ‘panics’ as we learn the full functionality of the system, and we hope that everything goes well for the future of the NECS service, whatever it will be called or wherever it is hosted…”

West Quay Medical Practice

Optimising GP messaging: Reducing SMS costs across NENC ICB

Lynne Cooke — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 12:16:45 +0000

The DTOS Primary Care Digital Support Hub collaborated with GP Practices, PCNs and NENC ICB to develop a suite of SMS (short message service) best practice tools, guidance documents, short videos and checklists to support the optimisation of SMS messaging and reduce costs to the NHS. The project has helped GP Practices and PCNs access and utilise a wide number of digital tools and techniques to increase their free of charge messages through the NHS App and email, reduce waste and their monthly messaging costs.

The challenge

SMS is a convenient, quick, and effective way for GP Practices to communicate with their patients. Practices can save significant time by reducing the number of phone calls they make and save money by reducing postage and printing costs.

Although NENC ICB meet the cost of practice SMS activity, they do not receive a national allocation to support SMS usage. The 2024/25 cost to NENC ICB was circa £2 million across North East and North Cumbria ICB area, which
is financially unsustainable and unaffordable.

The DTOS Project Team were asked to support GP practices and PCNs by developing SMS best practice guidance and help enable practices to adopt better ways of working i.e. the use of free digital channels. A good example of this is the messaging capability of the NHS App.

The solution

Resources – An SMS GP TeamNet page was developed which contained the approved SMS best practice guidance, checklists, and fragment efficiency tools to help practices use SMS more efficiently and reduce monthly costs.

Data insight – Monthly SMS usage reports, including spend, fragment lengths, NHS App data and free messaging were created by the NECS Applications Team and shared with all GP Practices, PCNs and Local Delivery Teams. This helped practices and PCNs monitor the impact of any changes made and identify areas where best practice could be shared across areas.

Support – 1:1 support was also provided to GP Practices with higher usage costs per 1000 patients and bespoke action plans were created based on SMS data usage reports and messaging activity. Webinars were hosted and led by the NECS Project Team to provide an overview of how SMS best practice could be applied together with separate supplier webinars. A Primary Care Digital Support hub generic inbox was created for any ad hoc SMS queries or support requests following receipt of the monthly usage reports.

The results

All 335 GP practices within NENC ICB have been provided with SMS monthly usage reports, access to support and invited to webinar sessions. There have been 183 practices directly supported to date, resulting in the number of practices spending > £60 per 1000 patients per month reducing by 51% across NENC ICB.
The percentage of patients across the ICB who downloaded the NHS App and enabled notifications rose by 33%, leading to a significant increase in free messages sent through the app. Between April and December 2025, 2,506,315 messages were sent – an 85% year-on-year increase – saving the NHS around £160,000.
The percentage of patients with the NHS App downloaded across NENC ICB has increased to 53% as at December 2025, with the highest practice at 69%.
The project also supports the wider NHS ambition to increase patient engagement through the NHS App and reduce reliance on paid communication channels.

West Quay Medical Practice were able to make the following reductions and savings by application of SMS best practice:

Cost per 1000 patients per month – Cost reduction of 62% per 1000 patients per month saving £2358.54 compared to same period last year
Average Fragment length – 9.3% reduction in average fragment length resulting in a lower cost per message
% NHS App Free of Charge Messages sent – 101% increase resulting in 7513 free of charge messages successfully sent through the NHS App
% of Patients with NHS App and Notifications enabled – 31% increase in the number of patients with the ability to receive free of charge messages, which is now above the NENC ICB average

West Quay Medical Practice were one of the higher usage practices supported. Their feedback following the NECS support received is outlined below:

“When we first saw our SMS figures and fragment usage, the whole Practice was taken aback. We assumed the review process would be lengthy and complex, involving every template and the whole team. In reality, once we approached it together, it was far more achievable than expected.

In team meetings, we encouraged staff to keep messages concise and avoid unnecessary padding. Many were initially worried that shorter messages might sound abrupt, but we quickly found that clear, factual communication actually saved time and still felt professional.

The Practice Management Team divided the templates between us and streamlined the content. Removing unnecessary characters and spacing alone made a big difference. Each of us spent about an hour reviewing our templates, and this significantly reduced fragment usage. We also looked at how we share general practice information such as staff changes, clinic availability, and patient resources and agreed to strengthen our website FAQs so we could send shorter texts with links to our practice website with more detailed information. And for those messages with length links, we began using on Online URL shortener to reduce the links which impacted the character/fragment count. We’ve also introduced a Facebook page for quick updates to patients too.

During our review, we also discovered that our system was sending two appointment reminders (seven days and 24 hours before). We have now reduced this to a single reminder at 24 hours to reduce the overall number of messages sent by the Practice.

One of our biggest tools was the inclusion of our Admin Team. With their support, we began to ensure mobile numbers were verified, consent was recorded and patients were reminded to enable notifications on their NHS app.”

West Quay Medical Practice

Digital good practice guidelines for general practice

Lynne Cooke — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 10:32:21 +0000

NHS England commissioned the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) to conduct a review of the 2011 Good Practice Guidelines (GPGv5) and assess the appropriate steps required to ensure an aligned national approach which is fit for purpose in 2020 and the coming years.

The challenge

The review highlighted the need for a revision to meet the new and emerging digital technology used in the Primary Care landscape. The programme was high profile as it had to be endorsed by the BMA and reviewed by JGPIT & RCGP, then
finally signed off by the NHSE CEO’s office.

NECS was responsible for leading the strategic development of NHSE’s Good Practice Guidelines, spearheading a high-impact
commission to deliver the fifth iteration of this critical framework. NECS orchestrated end-to-end programme management, overseeing a multi-disciplinary team of 20 NHS England subject matter experts (SMEs).

Key responsibilities included:

Cultivating strategic relationships with senior healthcare stakeholders to align priorities and foster collaboration.
Recruiting and coordinating a panel of SMEs to ensure robust clinical and operational expertise.
Providing end-to-end oversight of content development, peer review and publication processes.
Implementing comprehensive risk management strategies to assess, prioritise, and mitigate potential challenges.
Delivering regular progress reports and executive briefings to NHS senior leadership, ensuring transparency and alignment.

Our response

NECS established comprehensive governance, employing and managing contracts for all third-party participants in the program, and supporting the authoring teams with the production of guidance. Throughout the program, we delivered content, incorporating user feedback and comments. We designed a knowledge base that included 12 themes with 71 topics identified at the start, with gaps addressed during the program.

The project was run as an Agile initiative, with themes prioritised and ordered continuously. We also designed and delivered a Request for Change process, as well as a Business As Usual (BAU) handover to NHS England.

Content Approval Forms are required at the start of each topic.
Research and evidence will create scoping review to aid authoring team ready to start topic.
Kick off meeting with authoring team – templates, author guidance, process, research and any documentation currently available.
Support will be offered where needed, for example; additional research or authoring support.
Editor review puts article into standard format and plain English.
BMA and JGPIT comment/endorse the final document before it goes through the NHSE sign off gateway process.
It will be published on the NHSE website and reviewed after live date.

Outcomes

NECS was responsible for delivering key digital information across a suite of Theme and Topics which covered standards, products and pathways, etc. The role was both operational and strategic, working on establishing a community of Subject Matter Experts across the NHS to update the information on this programme to improve Primary Care. We developed our individual and collective knowledge, provided peer support and promoted a culture of continuous improvement.

Following the successful delivery of GPGv5, we designed and implemented structured frameworks for transitioning the guidelines into BAU operations. This included scoping scaleable solutions, creating detailed implementation roadmaps and establishing governance processes to ensure long-term adoption across the NHS.

“The Good Practice Guidelines for GP Electronic Patient Records (GPGv5) have been instrumental in standardising and enhancing the management of electronic patient records across GP practices. These contractually endorsed guidelines ensure that best practices are followed, improving data security, interoperability and the overall quality of patient care.”

Benjamin Drew

Digital Transformation Manager, Digital Primary Care, NHS Transformation Directorate, NHS England

Tynedale Hospice at Home Clinical System Migration – North East

Lynne Cooke — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 13:33:22 +0000

Tynedale Hospice at Home, a Hexham-based charity, commissioned NECS to migrate their clinical records from paper to the electronic system TPP SystmOne.

The project supported multiple services including hospice nursing, dementia care, family support, transport and complementary therapies, with go-live achieved in March 2025.

The challenge

The hospice considered which type of SystmOne unit would be best for them and decided on the Palliative Care unit to streamline workflows across their service and connect to a shared, dynamic medical record to enhance overall patient care.

Staff had no prior experience with electronic records.
Paper records remained essential in some areas (e.g. patient homes, transport).
Limited rural Wi-Fi required mobile working solutions.
The hospice needed to choose the most suitable SystmOne unit – selecting Palliative Care for integration across services.
Staff training needs varied significantly by role and experience.
Installation delays impacted mobile working functionality at go-live.

Our response

A Training Needs Analysis informed bespoke training materials and schedules.
Introductory e-learning and dedicated NECS website resources supported onboarding.
Remote and in-person training was delivered to over 30 staff, supported by help guides and live support via MS Teams.
Supplementary sessions ensured full team inclusion.
Templates from local partners were adapted to hospice needs.
Weekly audit reports tracked progress.

Outcomes

The training programme delivered to the Hospice was successfully executed within the contracted time frame, with a strong focus on tailored training materials and ensured support during and after the Go-Live phase.

We adapted to project changes, including the delayed delivery of the unit and subsequent postponed go live.

Supplementary training was provided for staff unavailable during the scheduled sessions, to ensure that no team member was left behind.

Staff adopted SystmOne quickly, efficiently managing caseloads and referrals.
Access to GP and District Nurse records, safeguarding information and key codes now supports safer, more coordinated care.
Real-time record sharing and task management is improving cross-organisation collaboration.
Death notifications within the system help close records effectively and eliminate data loss.
Accurate, automated reporting is reducing reliance on Excel, streamlining operational insight.

“As a first-time user, I was initially concerned about system complexity and data sharing. However, the Superuser training was intense but clear, and the online guides are easy to follow. One-to-one in-house sessions were especially productive, allowing us to resolve issues in real time with trainer support.”

St Luke’s Clinical System Migration – South Yorkshire

Lynne Cooke — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 09:26:51 +0000

St Luke’s Hospice provides palliative care and support across Sheffield, based at their site on Little Common Lane.

Services include 24-hour care via their Inpatient centre and outpatient sessions across various specialties, such as physiotherapy and bereavement support for patients and families. Alongside this they also provide at home community nursing services throughout the region.

The organisation required a new EPR system to be used across all the services, launched, simultaneously, during one go live date in
September 2024.

St Luke’s chose to implement SystmOne to streamline workflows across their service and connect to a shared, dynamic medical record to enhance overall patient care.

In November 2023, St Luke’s Hospice commissioned NECS to provide end user training and go-live support for their migration to SystmOne.

The challenge

This project required a strong focus on developing service-specific training plans and delivering comprehensive go-live support across the hospice. Over 100 staff members, with varying levels of experience with electronic patient records (EPRs) and SystmOne, needed to be trained. Staff roles spanned multiple service lines, each with different priorities and workflows, adding complexity to both training content and delivery.

Training sessions had to be delivered over an eight week period during the summer, ensuring that staff gained the necessary skills while maintaining service delivery. Additionally, close collaboration with the established local SystmOne team at St Luke’s was essential to provide tailored support throughout the migration.

Our response

St Luke’s were allocated a Training Lead who attended regular project meetings to collaborate with St Luke’s staff, ensuring alignment on deployment plans, training requirements and methods of delivery. Discussions with key stakeholders helped shape the training strategy and organisation of resources.

We developed detailed, role-specific training materials tailored to the needs of the SystmOne Palliative Hospital Unit and St Luke’s staff. Training plans were designed to accommodate various job roles and unit-specific processes, ensuring that every staff member received relevant and practical training.

The Clinical System Training team delivered a combination of remote and on-site training over a seven-week period. In total, 40 sessions were conducted, training over 100 staff members.

We simultaneously maintained a realistic demo environment that allowed staff to practice using SystmOne in a hands-on setting. This gave employees the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the system prior to going live.

The NECS team kept detailed records of training attendance and captured feedback and questions during each session. Weekly reports were provided to St Luke’s project team, highlighting progress, areas of concern, and any frequently asked questions that required follow-up.

The Training Lead developed a detailed plan for on-site support during the go-live phase. Multiple trainers were scheduled to be present on-site to handle questions, troubleshoot issues, and provide real-time support to staff as they transitioned to using SystmOne in their day-to-day operations.

Outcomes

The training programme delivered to St Luke’s Hospice was successfully executed within the contracted time frame, with a strong focus on tailored training materials, providing hands-on practice, and ensuring support during and after the go-live phase.

Integrating unit-specific processes into training materials and advising staff on how to best navigate functionality limitations prior to go live, helped ensure that staff were equipped to work within the system’s capabilities.

Regular reporting enabled timely adjustment to the training approach based on staff feedback, ensuring that issues were addressed promptly, and that training remained relevant and effective.

We also provided supplementary training for staff who were unavailable during the scheduled sessions, to ensure that no team member was left behind in the transition to SystmOne.

When the go-live date was postponed, the team adapted quickly by creating shorter refresher modules, helping staff retain familiarity without requiring full retraining.

The onsite floorwalking support covered two weeks, with clinical system specialists available for both the Inpatient and Outpatient areas concurrently. We were able to support staff with adjustments to working with SystmOne, pivot to support with process evolutions, and collaborate with the local clinical system teams.

This successful partnership demonstrates NECS’s capability to deliver tailored training solutions and seamless support, ensuring that organisations like St Luke’s Hospice can confidently transition to modern EPR systems and continue to provide exceptional care.

“The launch has gone really smoothly, thanks to all of the training, data migration and go-live support from the NECS team.”

Marc Smith

Clinical Systems Manager, St Luke’s Hospice

Delivering Digital Inclusion Across North East & North Cumbria

Lynne Cooke — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 13:54:43 +0000

The North East and North Cumbria (NENC) Digital Inclusion Programme is driving systemic change to tackle digital exclusion and
ensure equitable access to health and care services.

Through strategic oversight, coordinated projects, and strong partnerships, the programme embeds digital inclusion across workforce practice, community support, and service design. By developing resources, identifying opportunities, and engaging the wider system, it strengthens sustainable capacity and helps bridge the region’s digital exclusion ensuring that as services move
online, no one is left behind.

The challenge

Digital exclusion in NENC is higher than the national average, with only 81% of adults reporting foundational digital skills, the lowest in England.

Delivery spans NHS organisations, local authorities, and voluntary, community, social enterprise (VCSE) partners, all operating with limited and time-bound funding.

The programme needed to:

Target funding effectively
Ensure fair and consistent decision-making
Support delivery partners with limited resources
Align digital inclusion activity with the wider system through partnerships
Raise digital inclusion awareness across workforce.

The solution

The programme operates through structured processes, guidance, and system-wide coordination to ensure funded projects are effective and accountable.

Key components include:

Streamlined Expression of Interest (EOI) process, generating 28 submissions in 25/26, with clear criteria aligned to NENC Integrated Care System (ICS) Digital Inclusion Strategy priorities.
Collaboration and knowledge-sharing initiatives, such as the NENC ICS Digital Inclusion Steering Group and the Boost Learning Academy Digital Inclusion module, to encourage joined-up working across health, local authorities, education, and the voluntary and community sector.
Development of resources and tools, including training, eLearning, and newsletters, to strengthen workforce capability and promote best practice across the region.

The results

The programme has delivered tangible results across individuals, workforce, and system-wide priorities:

Enhanced digital skills and confidence for just under 1,000 individuals through drop-ins, home visits, and community events.
Distributed almost 500 repurposed devices, increasing access to technology and capturing learning through a playbook.
Captured measurable efficiency gains via the Great North Care Record: 7,400 accesses saved £8,308 of staff time.
Exceeded workforce training targets, with Digital Inclusion packages piloted in Gateshead and Newcastle, engaging 167 participants in six months, with 96% recommending the training to colleagues.
Doubled the NENC ICS Digital Inclusion Steering Group membership to over 60 representatives, strengthening regional collaboration and motivation.
Reached thousands through the partnership with Foundation of Light’s high-profile NHS App awareness campaign at Sunderland’s Football Club Stadium and the Beacon of Light.
Streamlined a new version of the Digital Exclusion Heatmap and contributed to the National Digital Exclusion Risk Atlas to support targeted approaches.
Delivered inclusive training initiatives on Boost Learning Academy, such as deaf awareness training and with unlimited potential for wider adoption.
Across projects, 31 volunteers were recruited and trained in digital inclusion, creating a network that strengthens skills, boosts digital confidence, and amplifies regional impact.
Published an interactive Digital Inclusion Awareness eLearning for workforce across the North East and Yorkshire, with potential for national adoption and mandatory training.
Developed a monthly programme newsletter to strengthen shared learning and highlight upcoming regional events.

Looking ahead

The ambition for the upcoming years is to move beyond time-limited projects and embed digital inclusion as a core principle of service design and delivery.

Key priorities include:

Working with Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to support inclusive digital service design.
Aligning with NHS England frameworks to embed equity from the outset utilising resources such as the National Digital Inclusion Risk Atlas and the NENC ICS Digital Exclusion Heatmap.
Strengthening environmentally sustainable approaches, including device repurposing programmes for regional adoption with health partners.
Embedding digital inclusion and sustainability expectations within contracts, policies, and commissioning, reducing reliance on short-term funding.

“The Digital Inclusion PMO have been a pleasure to work with, their impact has reached beyond the North East and North Cumbria, they have openly shared resources and learning with North East and Yorkshire system partners, the training module and resources on Boost have been particularly helpful to others in the NEY Digital Inclusion Peer Support Network. They have been professional, optimistic and people are very clearly at the heart of everything they do.”

Vic Grainger, Senior Digital Primary Care Manager – NHS England

“I just wanted to take a moment to share a heartfelt thank you for the continued partnership and support from the PMO team this year. Your friendly, supportive and approachable way of working, alongside the creativity and clear passion you bring to the digital inclusion mission, makes partnership working both effective and genuinely enjoyable.”

Stella Simbo, Newcastle Digital Inclusion in Health and Social Care Project Manager, Connected Voice

Accelerating GP website assessments with AI

Lynne Cooke — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 14:26:47 +0000

The Practice Level Support (PLS) programme facilitated by NECS Digital Transformation & Optimisation Service (DTOS) involved 12 on-site visits to enrolled GP practices by a Facilitator. The programme gave the opportunity to assess GP practice websites. Traditionally, this assessment could be done using NHS England’s usability and accessibility guidelines or by using an Excel-based benchmarking tool, also issued by NHS England.

Instead, by using Copilot to analyse homepage screenshots in desktop and mobile views, a significant reduction in assessment time compared to manual reviews was achieved, enabling faster support for practices.

The challenge

GP practice websites are an important patient access point, but there are websites that do not meet NHS England’s usability and accessibility standards. NHS research highlighted that patients use GP practice websites for core tasks such as making or changing appointments, requesting repeat prescriptions, getting sick notes, accessing test results, registering with a practice, and finding contact details like phone number, opening times, and address.

Traditionally, assessments of GP practice websites relied on manual reviews or an Excel-based benchmarking tool, which were time-consuming. Such assessments were also subjective, with levels of compliance open to interpretation. This slowed down the PLS Facilitators ability to identify any issues and highlight improvements to these vital journeys quickly.

The solution

Copilot is a conversational AI assistant that is part of Microsoft 365 and is used in the NHS to helps users with tasks, streamline workflows and automate routine actions.

The Facilitator used Copilot’s AI capabilities to assess GP practice website homepages. Screenshots of each site in desktop and mobile view were uploaded, and Copilot analysed them against NHS England’s guide, Creating a highly usable and accessible GP website for patients. This automated approach replaced manual assessments and Excel-based benchmarking, reducing complexity and improving consistency. The process was simple: capture screenshots, upload them to Copilot, and receive structured feedback aligned with standards.

Copilot was asked “Using the guide in this URL, please assess this home page in desktop and mobile views https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/creating-a-highly-usable-and-accessible-gp-website-for-patients/”.
This innovation allowed the Facilitator to complete assessments in minutes rather than hours, freeing up time for direct support to practices in other areas.

Sample of a Copilot generated home page assessment, showing recommended fixes

The results

The AI-based assessment saved a lot of time and focused on the things that matter most to patients. It concentrated on the main tasks patients choose to complete on a website, such as booking or changing appointments, ordering repeat prescriptions, getting sick notes and test results, registering with the practice, and finding contact details. This meant that any improvements were aimed at the areas with the biggest impact.

Manual reviews usually take 30–60 minutes per website, but Copilot completed each assessment in well under 5 minutes. It quickly highlighted where websites were not meeting expectations for these key tasks. This freed up the PLS Facilitator’s limited time to focus on other parts of the programme.

Method	Average Time	Time Saved	Efficiency Gain
Manual Review	30–60 mins	0 mins	Baseline
Copilot-Assisted	5–10 mins	25–55 mins	≈83%

Time saved using Copilot for home page assessments

The feedback provided was clear, practical, and consistent with NHS England standards, helping to keep assessments impartial.
Practices received results more quickly along with focused recommendations, which could help improve patient access and experience.
Overall, this showed how digital tools can speed up assessments and support improvements to patient journeys in the PLS programme.

Find out more

Email us at necsu.wearedtos@nhs.net or find out more at https://bit.ly/4kRt9L4

“Using Copilot transformed my assessment workflow. What used to take hours now takes minutes, allowing me to give more time to other areas where practices require support.”

Chris Pattison

Business Analyst, DTOS

Supporting general practices to understand demand and optimise capacity

Lynne Cooke — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 11:46:40 +0000

NECS National DTOS Team played a pivotal role in supporting a national initiative to embed Business Intelligence Demand and Capacity solutions within Primary Care on behalf of NHS England. The focus was on creating a comprehensive toolkit designed to support successful implementation in General Practice.

Published on NHS Futures, this toolkit offers practical guidance, including core principles, optimisation strategies, common pitfalls, best practice recommendations, and real-world examples.

To ensure its relevance and effectiveness, the team worked closely with a pilot group, incorporating their feedback to refine the resources. Through this collaborative approach, the team established a structured, evidence-based framework for adopting Demand and Capacity solutions across Primary Care.

The challenge

Prior to the project, many practices were implementing Demand and Capacity solutions without the necessary business change support to maximise their effectiveness. This lack of structured guidance meant that practices often struggled to understand how to integrate the tools into their operational workflows.

As a result, functionality was underutilised, and the intended benefits such as improved planning, resource allocation, and patient flow were not being realised. The absence of clear principles, best practice frameworks, and practical support created inconsistencies in adoption and limited the overall impact of the national initiative.

The solution

To address the challenges, a comprehensive toolkit was designed to optimise the use of Demand and Capacity tools in Primary Care. The toolkit included three core components: Basic Principles, outlining key concepts, best practice guidance, and essential terminology to build a strong foundation; a Case Study Catalogue, featuring real-world use cases grouped by themes such as Appointment Demand, Avoidable Appointments, Continuity of Care, Reattendance within 7 days, Signposting, Workforce Planning, and Wound Care; and Resources and Templates, providing practical guidance, policy documents, and links to research and support materials.

Implementation involved close collaboration with the national team and a pilot group of practices actively undergoing business change, ensuring the toolkit was informed by real operational insights. Each Practice had varying levels of digital maturity with some resistance to change. These challenges were managed by creating an open dialogue with key stakeholders early, providing hands-on support and iteratively refining the toolkit based on their user experiences and valued feedback.

The results

As a result of the project, practices moved from fragmented and inconsistent use of Demand and Capacity tools to a structured, evidence-based approach. This change improved operational planning and resource allocation, enabling practices to better match capacity to patient demand. For patients, this translated into improved access to appointments, reduced waiting times, and more continuity of care.

Staff benefited from clearer processes, reduced administrative burden, and data-driven insights that supported workforce planning and workload management. Services became more efficient, with timely data informing decisions on staffing models and service design.

Ongoing benefits include the ability to use historic trends for future planning, maintain data consistency across practices, and meet national reporting requirements. Ultimately, the toolkit has created a sustainable framework that supports continuous improvement in patient access and service delivery across Primary Care.

“…appreciated from the first session this was not going to be a tick box exercise, and that the work they would be doing within the programme would be tailored to meet the needs of the practice…”

Oliver Bostock

Digital Transformation Lead, Ramsgate PCN on behalf of Summerhill Surgery

Digital Records, Better Care: Transforming Social Care Delivery

NECS — Mon, 02 Mar 2026 16:07:34 +0000

The Digitising Social Care programme (DiSC) supported adult social care providers to adopt digital technology and improve the quality and safety of care delivery across Cheshire and Merseyside.

NECS was approached following the successful delivery of the programme in the North East. By promoting Department of Health and Social Care funding and supporting implementation of digital social care records and development of digital skills, the initiative helped improve efficiency, reduce administrative burden, and strengthen interoperability with NHS systems nationwide.

The challenge

Many adult social care providers across Cheshire and Merseyside continued to rely on paper-based care records, creating inefficiencies and limiting the ability to share information safely and consistently. This made it harder for staff to access up-to-date care information, increased administrative workload, and reduced time available for direct care. Digital maturity varied widely across the sector, and many providers were unsure how to begin adopting digital solutions or access available funding.

Nationally, NHS England set an ambition for 80 per cent of Care Quality Commission registered providers and 80 per cent of individuals in social care settings to have a Digital Social Care Record in place by March 2025. Local authorities needed additional capacity and structured support to engage providers, explain eligibility requirements, and guide them through the funding application process. Addressing these challenges was essential to improve care quality, safety, and integration with wider health systems.

The solution

The NECS Digitising Social Care Delivery Team worked in partnership with Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board and Local Authority leads from Liverpool City Council, Sefton Council, and St Helens Borough Council. Using a digital baseline list supplied by local authorities, the team contacted Care Quality Commission registered care providers by phone and email to raise awareness of Digital Social Care Record funding and explain the benefits of digital care planning.

Support included:

Collating application packs
Securely sharing documentation with the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) project team
Clarifying eligibility requirements, including Data Security and Protection Toolkit standards and NHS-accredited email use.

Delivery was managed remotely, with progress tracked via a Master Supplier Tracker and reviewed monthly with local authorities. At project completion, all documentation and data were returned to local authorities to support ongoing oversight and sustainability.

The results

The programme contributed to increased adoption of Digital Social Care Records across Liverpool, Sefton, and St Helens, supporting improved efficiency and information sharing across the adult social care sector. A total of 26 care providers across Cheshire and Merseyside were supported to submit successful funding applications and went on to receive funding to implement digital care planning systems.

Providers that had already implemented Digital Social Care Records reported a wide range of benefits. hese included time savings, reduced administrative burden, and significant reductions in the use of paper records. Improved access to digital care information supported better collaboration with colleagues and relatives, enabling more coordinated and responsive care. Providers also reported increased confidence in managing and analysing care data.

Early evidence showed improved integration with NHS systems, supporting safer information sharing and better continuity of care. By reducing time spent on paperwork, staff were able to focus more on people receiving care. Ongoing work continues to strengthen interoperability and digital skills, with long-term benefits expected for efficiency, safety, and quality across adult social care.

“I am extremely grateful for all your support and diligence throughout this process. You have made a real difference to us as a small startup company and in turn to the people we support.”

Andy Kershaw

Owner/Director, Support Resolution

New: Digital Inclusion awareness training

NECS — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 12:58:23 +0000

Are you clear on what digital inclusion really means in practice?

Do you know how you can help reduce digital exclusion in your role?

Do you work in health and care supporting people in your local community?

The North East and North Cumbria ICB Digital Inclusion team has developed a new Digital Inclusion Awareness training module for colleagues working across health and care.

This engaging training explores:

What digital inclusion means in practice
The barriers preventing people from accessing digital services
Practical strategies to reduce digital exclusion
How digital inclusion supports equitable access to health and care services.

Whether you’re supporting, delivering, commissioning or managing services, this training will help build your confidence and understanding in addressing digital barriers within our communities.

Find out more about the training here

Access the training via the Boost Learning Academy (account sign-up required).