Acute Global Digital Exemplars

NHS England is currently supporting 17 digitally advanced acute trusts, through funding and international partnership opportunities, to become Global Digital Exemplars.

These trusts are:

North

  • Alder Hey Children’s Hospital NHS Trust
  • City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust
  • Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust
  • Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust
  • Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Midlands and East

  • Cambridge NHS Foundation Trust
  • University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
  • Luton and Dunstable University Hospital NHS Trust
  • West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust

London

  • Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust
  • Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (joint Exemplar)

South

  • Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
  • University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust
  • University Hospitals Southampton NHS Foundation Trust

How were trusts selected

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

  • High Digital Maturity Assessment scores in the areas of readiness and capability
  • Involvement in innovative digital healthcare initiatives
  • Representation of a range of different solution types
  • NHS Improvement confirmation that organisations will not be hindered in their ambitions due to other issues.

Expressions of interests and other provider intelligence were assessed by an international panel chaired by Professor Keith McNeil, (formerly) Chief Clinical Information Officer for the NHS, and Professor Robert Wachter, author of the review of health IT in England.

Fast followers

Each Global Digital Exemplar has selected 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 are supported by NHS England funding and will enable Global Digital Exemplars to establish proven models that can be rolled out across the NHS more broadly. Fast follower trusts are:

  • Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust
  • University College London Hospitals (UCLH) NHS Foundation Trust
  • South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust
  • Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust (partnered with Imperial and included above)
  • Bedford Hospital NHS Trust
  • Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust
  • Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust
  • North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust
  • Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust
  • North Tees & Hartlepool Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
  • Wye Valley NHS Trust
  • Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust
  • The Whittington Hospital
  • Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
  • Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust