NHS Digital has merged with NHS England. This means that NHS England has assumed responsibility for all activities previously undertaken by NHS Digital. This includes running the vital national IT systems which support health and social care, and the collection, analysis, publication and dissemination of data generated by health and social care services to improve outcomes.

The merger follows a recommendation in Laura Wade-Gery’s review, Putting data, digital and tech at the heart of transforming the NHS.

In April 2023, Health Education England will also join NHS England. We will then be responsible for ensuring that the healthcare workforce has the right numbers, skills, values and behaviours in place to support the delivery of excellent healthcare and health improvement to patients and the public.

The systems and services, functions, processes and structures of NHS Digital and Health Education England will continue to operate as normal, and contracts will automatically transfer to NHS England, with terms and conditions unchanged.

Why these changes are happening

The NHS has been redesigned around the creation of integrated care systems, and this requires a redesign at the centre of the NHS in England.

People, data and technology are crucial to the ongoing evolution of our NHS. Read more about how we are continuing to protect and safely use data.

By working together in these key areas, we will support and enable local systems to:

• work in more efficient ways
• improve diagnosis and treatment
• understand and improve services

This merger will reduce duplication, bringing the NHS’s people, skills, digital, data and technology expertise together into one organisation. This will help us to collaborate more effectively and allow local organisations to benefit from a wide range of specialist support and expertise.

Users of NHS Digital and Health Education England’s services

There will be no changes for those who currently use NHS Digital or Health Education England’s services. The ways that you contact them and the services on offer will remain the same.

Contracts with NHS Digital and Health Education England

The merger will be completed by a statute change, and any contracts that are subject to UK law will transfer automatically to NHS England under those regulations.

You do not need to take any action to effect the transfer of your contract.

We have written to all of NHS Digital and Health Education England’s suppliers to tell them how to change their billing systems. If you have not received that letter, if you hold any contracts that are not subject to UK law with us, or have any other queries about your contract, contact nhsdcommercial@nhs.net.

If you have a contract for Health Education England or NHS Digital to supply you with a service then this remains valid and the contract will automatically transfer to NHS England.