
IM&T - IT Services - IT Strategy (2014 - 2019)
NHS Borders
Information Management & Technology
IT Services
IT Strategy (2014 - 2019)
Published Date
09th October 2014
Version
V0.6
Jonathan Scully (IT Services Manager)
Authors
Iain Allan (IT Technical Architect)
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IM&T - IT Services - IT Strategy (2014 - 2019)
Document History
Issue Date
Version
Details
Author
07/01/14
V0.1
Draft Created
Jonathan Scully / Iain Allan
Post internal walkthrough
26/04/14
V0.2
Jonathan Scully / Iain Allan
updates
26/05/14
V0.3
Draft Service Review
Jonathan Scully / Iain Allan
Document Governance
Issue Date
Version
Governance
Governance
June 2014
0.4
Head of IM&T - Jackie Stephens
Approval
July 2014
0.4
NHS Borders Executive Team
Review
October 2014
0.6
NHS Border Strategy Group
Approval
November 2014
0.6
NHS Border Capital Planning Group
Information
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IM&T - IT Services - IT Strategy (2014 - 2019)
Contents
Document History ................................................................................................................................ 2
Document Governance ........................................................................................................................ 2
Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................ 4
Outline ................................................................................................................................................. 4
Scope ................................................................................................................................................... 4
Dependency ........................................................................................................................................ 4
Investment ........................................................................................................................................... 4
IT Services Strategy Context .................................................................................................................. 5
Local Organisational Strategy ............................................................................................................. 5
NHS Borders Clinical Strategy ......................................................................................................... 5
NHS Borders 20:20 Vision ............................................................................................................... 6
Information Management & Technology (IM&T) .............................................................................. 6
National Information Technology Strategy .......................................................................................... 7
eHEALTH Strategy 2011-17 ............................................................................................................ 7
E-Health Infrastructure and Application Strategy ............................................................................ 7
IT Services Strategic Objectives ............................................................................................................. 8
IT Services Core Values ......................................................................................................................... 9
Operational Excellence ........................................................................................................................ 9
Best Practice / Compliance ................................................................................................................. 9
Expertise and Innovation ..................................................................................................................... 9
Current IT Landscape ........................................................................................................................... 10
Change Summary .............................................................................................................................. 10
Server Estate ................................................................................................................................. 10
Desktop .......................................................................................................................................... 10
Mobile Clients ................................................................................................................................ 10
Network .......................................................................................................................................... 10
Applications .................................................................................................................................... 10
Future IT Environment .......................................................................................................................... 11
Strategic Proposal ................................................................................................................................. 12
Strategic Initiatives Plan .................................................................................................................... 13
Appendix A - Supporting Documentation .............................................................................................. 14
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IM&T - IT Services - IT Strategy (2014 - 2019)
Executive Summary
Outline
This document outlines the IM&T, IT Services Strategy (2014 - 2019) for NHS Borders. It's aim is to
provide the visions, goals and actions to support and underpin NHS Borders business objectives.
The strategy links IT Services developments with NHS Borders overall objectives as detailed in the
NHS Clinical Strategy (2014) the 20:20 Vision and overarching Corporate objectives (appendix a)
It is recognised with the Clinical Strategy that Technology has become, and will continue to develop,
as a key component in the provision of clinical care. This underpinning support of clinical service
covers a number of key areas.
Provision of information at point of care
Provision of Technology for access of access information from various platforms.
Scope
The scope of this strategy will include all aspects of IT Infrastructure only. Health Systems,
Applications and Integration will be the subject of a separate strategy document.
The wider IM&T Strategy will also be captured and formally approved as a separate document and
piece of work
Dependency
Over the past 5 years the number of developments which have occurred within IT Technology within
NHS Borders has been significant. The introduction of TrakCare in 2010 and the subsequent clinical
dependency placed on the Health Systems has resulted in significant efficiencies as services and
function move from paper based processes to electronic. Other significant deliveries have introduced
system integration allowing centralised views of cross board patient information via clinical portal and
sharing of information between primary and acute services.
Investment
Information Technology undertakes a key role within the provision of clinical care and the dependency
on the infrastructure for communication and efficient working. It is essential that the necessary
investment is provided to ensure the safe, robust and continued developed of the technology and the
staff to support it. The continued investment required involves 3 areas
Capital rolling Replacement of equipment to replace end of life equipment which is slow,
unsupported and prone to failure
Investment in continuing development of new technologies (Infrastructure and Applications)
Commitment to staffing level required to operate, maintain and support
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IM&T - IT Services - IT Strategy (2014 - 2019)
IT Services Strategy Context
The IT Services Strategy has been developed in context of organisational requirements, national
strategic direction and national Technical standards (National Infrastructure Strategy and the National
Application Strategy)
Local Organisational Strategy
At time of writing this document the NHS Borders is currently out for consultation. Within the strategy
a number of key principles appear which will form the basis for the final strategy and thus sets the
requirements for this document.
NHS Borders Clinical Strategy
The Key Principles are:
Services will be Safe, Effective and High Quality.
Services will be Person-Centred and Seamless.
Health Improvement and Prevention will be as important as treatment of illness.
Services will be delivered as close to home as possible.
As a consequence of the above principle, admission to hospital will only happen when
necessary, and will be brief and smooth.
Services will be delivered efficiently, within available means.
Within the clinical strategy the position and importance of technology within healthcare is specifically
referenced.
3.5 Technological Capability – based on evidence Technology is becoming part of the majority of peoples daily lives from smartphones and digital TVs
to telephones and tablet devices. They are used to using technology to undertake many aspects of
their daily lives, from banking and ticket booking to on-line shopping. They want the option to
undertake contact with the NHS in a similar way: to book appointments, order their medicines, access
the people looking after them for advice and support and accessing their own information on-line.
Similarly, staff rightly demand technology that supports them to do their jobs and to deliver the best
care as effectively as possible. Advances in technology presents us with an opportunity to really
support staff in delivering new models of care, for example, remote monitoring of patients at home or
in hospital, or remote access to clinical experts.
We already have good foundations and strong partnerships to ensure we are well placed to make the
most of all that technology can offer to new models of patient-centred, safe care.
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IM&T - IT Services - IT Strategy (2014 - 2019)
NHS Borders 20:20 Vision
The Key Principles are:
Services will be Safe, Effective and High Quality.
Services will be Person-Centred and Seamless.
Health Improvement and Prevention will be as important as treatment of illness.
Within the Interpretation of the 20:20 vision the following themes are of particular relevance to the IT
Strategy.
Real time access to clinical applications and patient information at point of care whether that
be NHS site, Community Site or on site patient location (home)
Patient communication - Text Reminder for appointments, healthcare message, support
communication through range of mechanisms including video conferencing
Patient applications to support healthcare
Information Management & Technology (IM&T)
The IM&T Strategy will encapsulate the strategic direction of the entire IM&T department (includes
Health Information and Projects and Development). The departmental strategy will be created and
taken through organisational governance separately from this document.
The Key Principles are:
Provision, support and development of robust, resilient and fit for purpose IT Services
(Infrastructure and Applications)
Delivery of high quality Project Management, Application development and support and
Training.
Delivery of Medical Record (physical and electronic) and Outpatient Services.
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IM&T - IT Services - IT Strategy (2014 - 2019)
National Information Technology Strategy
eHEALTH Strategy 2011-17
The eHealth Strategy 2011-17 sets out the Scottish Government’s vision for eHealth in 2017.
Six new strategic eHealth aims have been developed which will be the focus of all eHealth activity in
this period. They are to use information and technology in a coordinated way to:
maximise efficient working practices, minimise wasteful variation, bring about measurable
savings and ensure value for money;
support people to communicate with the NHSS, manage their own health and wellbeing, and
to become more active participants in the care and services they receive;
contribute to care integration and to support people with long term conditions;
improve the availability of appropriate information for healthcare workers and the tools to use
and communicate that information effectively to improve quality;
improve the safety of people taking medicines and their effective use; and
to provide clinical and other local managers across the health and social care spectrum with
the timely management informationthey need to inform their decisions on service quality,
performance and delivery.
The full eHealth Strategy 2011-17 can be accessed at –
www.scotland.gov.uk/ehealth-strategy.
E-Health Infrastructure and Application Strategy
These two strategies are part of the framework of strategic documents that underpin the delivery of
the eHealth Strategy 2011-17. They provide direction to eHealth planners and decision-makers in
NHS Scotland.
Whereas the overarching eHealth Strategy 2011-17 is fully outcome focused, the supporting
strategies set out principles and approaches that are critical to maintaining focus on the overall aims
and objectives of eHealth.
These two strategies share a number of common imperatives such as addressing current financial
pressures, supporting the increased need to share information outside existing boundaries and
exploiting new technologies while maintaining appropriate control.
The Infrastructure Strategy addresses the impact of these imperatives across the layers of NHS
Scotland’s Infrastructure, and the Application Strategy sets out principles and direction for the
provision of software solutions and management of the application portfolio across NHS Scotland.
This results in a number of shared themes within the Strategies:
Rationalising – removing unnecessary duplication;
Extracting more value – exploiting existing assets;
Building flexibility – allowing for easier integration and sharing of information;
Choosing strategically – getting the best long-term value from investment.
In addition to setting out principles and strategic guidance the documents contain sets of agreed
actions that Boards will need to complete in order to achieve the required objectives.
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IT Services Strategic Objectives
In the delivery of the IT Services Strategy there are four key strategic objectives for IT Services.
Continue the development of an already high performing support service by embedding
culture of continual improvement working to industry standard best practice operating to
agree Service Level Agreements.
Work in partnership with the all services across NHS Borders to provide agile, responsive IT
Services focussed on underpinning the delivery of patient care including the deliver of new
technology and innovation.
Work in partnership with Projects and Developments to deliver high quality, sustainable and
supportable change in alignment with strategic direction.
Continue the develop of IT Services staff toward high performing team aiming for excellence
across all roles.
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IT Services Core Values
In the delivery of the IT Services Strategy, IT Services will aspire to the following core Values.
Operational Excellence
The provision of high quality robust support for all user base. This includes efficient support
with a focus on call resolution at first point of contact.
High quality of service across all technologies. This is the commitment to providing high
system availability, limited controlled downtime and rapid restoration of service in the event of
outage.
Managed Data provision. This is the assurance that data provided will be accurate and
timely.
Continual Improvement - IT Services culture drives continual improvement across all
activities. All staff are tasked within yearly objects to continually improve our service.
Measureable Performance - Through our performance scorecard IT Services commit to
providing the organisation with clear, relevant performance metrics demonstrating our high
standard of service delivery.
Service Management - Technology will be managed using industry standard best practice.
Service Engagement - IT Services are committed to partnership working with the service to
review support performance and continuously improve.
Best Practice / Compliance
Governed by best IT practice (ITIL, PRINCE2) - IT Services will deliver service in alignment
and governed by industry best practice standards and methodology.
National Direction - IT Services will deliver services and developments in alignment with the
national Infrastructure and Application Strategies.
Organisation Requirements - IT Services will deliver services and developments to support
the organisational strategy.
Expertise and Innovation
Technical Innovation - IT Services undertake a commitment to keep pace with the
development of all technology and apply developments and Innovation to drive efficiency,
improve patient care or enable service change where possible.
Technical Change Delivery - Technology change and developments will be delivered in a
controlled and structured manner in partnership with the service.
Efficiency - Through IT Services commitment to deliver innovation and continual improvement
efficiencies will be recognised, delivered and measured. IT Services will also support
organisational efficiency programs through underpinning IT solutions.
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IM&T - IT Services - IT Strategy (2014 - 2019)
Current IT Landscape
Over the course of the last 6 years, since the previous IT Service Strategy, the IT landscape within
NHS Borders has changed significantly.
Change Summary
Server Estate
Infrastructure delivery has moved from individual hardwareto consolidated clustered technology
bringing improved power footprint efficient, improved management and resilience.
Desktop
The desktop estate has undergone gradual operational replacement as part of the Capital Rolling
Refresh Program. The operating system remains largely at Windows XP which will be migrated to
Windows 7 over the next three years.
Mobile Clients
With the introduction of management toolset an estate of mobile devices has been gradually
introduced utilising a proof of concept model. The estate includes Apple OS, Android and Windows 8
devices.
Network
Network services have remained largely the same with the addition of an direct Internet connection to
facilitate mobile connectivity for mail, calendar. Strategically this will host published services to
external sources.
Applications
The biggest change in the IT landscape has been the developments and use of applications. After
TrakCare was installed in 2010 along with the Ensemble integration engine a new full integrated
landscape has emerged. Importantly this has lead to a rise in clinical dependency.
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Future IT Environment
The infrastructure must provide a basis to facilitate the evolving IT organisational needs of NHS
Borders by providing enhanced security, resilience and improved responsiveness for the future.
All work will be undertaken in alignment with the following key principles.
Simplification - Improvement to the user experience by simplifying access and information
availability, through infrastructure and application changes.
Efficiency - Ensuring IT is efficient and cost effective.
Resiliency - Ensuring services are highly available, as resilient as possible through good
design etc and that recovery of interrupted services is prompt. This includes ensuring
appropriate Disaster Recover solutions are in place.
Innovative - Working collaboratively with services to utilise new technology as it emerges and
leverage service benefit.
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Strategic Proposal
Over the next 5 years there are a number of change programs that will be undertaken to meet the
strategic objectives.
Detailed delivery plans will be created and managed within the annual IM&T Delivery Portfolio
lifecycle.
This activity will affect most areas within the IT Infrastructure including.
Estate - Locations which house IT Infrastructure.
Network - LAN / WAN / Wireless and Cabling
Server - Core Services, Storage, Applications and Integration Engines
Endpoint / Device - Desktop, Laptops, Mobile (Tablets)
Print & Data - Printer Management, Data Management
Services - Core Services, Security, Communications, Backup & Restore
Staff Services - Provision of IT Services to Staff
Applications - Application Strategy, Support and develops best practice administration.
Patient Service - Access to services for patients to facilitate patient care.
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Strategic Initiatives Plan
2014/15
2015/16
2016/17
2017/18
2018/19
Virtual Cluster
Desktop Transformation
Desktop Transformation
Active Directory
Desktop Transformation
Core
Active Directory
Data Archive Upgrade
Data Storage
Desktop Transformation
BGH wLAN
Systems Management
SWAN Migration
Trackcare
Windows 2003 Servers
RIS
Email Replacement
Applications
ePex Virtualisation
SCISTORE
OCS
Mobile Applications
Additional Storage
Additional on-site facility
Network Redesign
Backup Enhancements
Availability
Partner Co-location
Estate Consolidation
DR/BC Framework
Remote Access
Public Wi-fi
Patient Services
CYOD
Accessibility
Mobility
Telehealth
Community Wi-fi
Print Strategy
Account Self-Service
Unified Messaging
Print management
Efficiency
Enhanced Service Desk
E-Provisioning
Power Management
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Appendix A - Supporting Documentation
The eHealth Infrastructure Strategy can be downloaded from –
http://www.ehealth.scot.nhs.uk/wp-
content/documents/Infrastructure-Strategy.pdf
The eHealth Application Strategy can be downloaded from
– http://www.ehealth.scot.nhs.uk/wp-
content/documents/eHealth-Applications-Strategy.pdf
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