Mental Health Global Digital Exemplars

NHS England is currently supporting seven digitally advanced mental health trusts, through funding and international partnership opportunities, to become Global Digital Exemplars.

These trusts are:

  • Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
  • Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
  • Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust
  • Northumberland Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust
  • Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust
  • South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
  • Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust

How were trusts selected

Trusts who met the following criteria were invited to submit expressions of interest:

  • A Care Quality Commission score of Excellent or Good
  • NHS Improvement confirmation that the organisations are well placed to deliver the ambitions of the programme
  • High Digital Maturity Assessment scores
  • Evidence of leading innovative health and care initiatives enabled by digital technology

Expressions of interests were assessed by a multidisciplinary international panel chaired by Professor Keith McNeil, (formerly) Chief Clinical Information Officer for the NHS, and Professor Tim Kendall, (formerly) National Clinical Director for Mental Health, NHS England.

Fast followers

New NHS England funding announced in September 2017 will support the recruitment of fast followers to partner with mental health Global Digital Exemplars. Each Global Digital Exemplar will select one (or occasionally two) trusts to partner with to accelerate their digital maturity. In some cases, this will be sharing software or a common IT team. Others will adopt standard methodologies and processes. Fast followers will enable Global Digital Exemplars to establish proven models that can be rolled out across the NHS more broadly.