18 NHS hospital ‘fast follower’ trusts named

The second wave of 18 NHS digital pioneers, or ‘fast followers’, will be named today at the NHS Innovation Expo in Manchester by Secretary of State for Health Jeremy.

In total, up to 20 hospital and seven mental health followers are expected to share £160m in funding between them.

The group of 18 English NHS acute trusts will follow the first wave of 12 first wave Global Digital Exemplars announced at the same event twelve months earlier.

Of the 18 hospital fast followers two, Chelsea and Westminster and UCLH, had already been announced when the original 12 was expanded to 16 at the end of 2016.

The Department of Health confirmed that there will also be a wave of up to seven mental health fast followers.  These will each receive up to £3m of national funding, which will have to be matched locally.  The figure compares to £5m of central investment in acute fast followers.

Digital Health News understands, however, the selection process for mental health fast followers has yet to begin.

The Department of Health said of mental health fast followers: “Once selected, they will each receive up to £3m, to be matched by the trust to create fresh investment of up to £42m.”

Digital Health News understands the selection process for mental health fast followers has yet to begin.

Most of the hospital fast followers are matched to GDEs they are geographically close to, or already working closely with, but there are notable exceptions.

GDE, Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust, for instance, is matched with North Tees and Hartlepool Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as a fast follower.  Closer to home RLBUH is also paired Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust, which it already provides IT services for.

The only other GDE to get two fast followers is Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, which is paired up with Wye Valley NHS Trust and Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

List of Acute Global Digital Exemplars and Fast Followers