Organisation: NHS England and north central London Integrated Care System

We supported GP practices in north central London to provide digital access to services, transforming how they work, while making sure that people who can’t use technology aren’t excluded.

Challenge

The way people access healthcare has changed, with a rapid shift to digital care. TPHC was contracted to run a five-year ‘Digital First’ programme in north central London, principally funded by NHS England. The programme aimed to improve digital access to primary care for patients and digital experience for staff, by transforming working practices across a vast and evolving integrated care system (ICS).

Solution

Our team deployed a flexible team with a wide range of expertise to deliver the NCL Digital First programme, which was recognised by NHS England as ‘best-of-breed.’

We managed the programme across the North Central London Integrated Care System, working in partnership with the Integrated Care Board, boroughs, primary care networks, third sector, and commercial vendors.

The five-year programme, which ended in 2024, used a flexible planning and contracting model with a yearly cycle and quarterly reviews. Our Agile approach and wealth of in-house expertise enabled us to provide the right support whenever it was needed, including expertise in business analysis, finance, and data and digital.

We managed staff rotations, changing priorities, fluctuating budgets, organisational change, and the impact of Covid, ensuring programme continuity and resilience.

Outcomes

For patients:

• All north central London GP practices now provide online consultations as part of their offer to patients.
• 55% of practices now use the NHS App, making it easy for patients to contact them.
• Patients have improved access to healthcare information online through upgraded GP websites and more practices having a social media presence.
• More patients than ever will be able to access their health records online, due to most practices becoming compliant with NHSE online records access requirements.
• Every digital tool option is promoted alongside a traditional pathway, so that digitally inactive patients are included.
• Greater use of technology for patients who want it frees up face to face appointments for those who don’t.

For GP practices:

• GP practices experienced improved efficiency and a more consistent digital journey, leading to reduced workload.