Made Well open source collective launched for digital health solutions

A new open-source collective has been launched to enable the reuse and co-funding of digital health solutions across the health and care system. 

The Made Well Collective brings together health and social care organisations through a free-to-use, open source platform, accessible to all NHS bodies. It aims to enable co-funding, co-delivery and the re-use of digital solutions, as well as boosting collaboration between organisations and suppliers to foster innovation.

The Collective, from public sector delivery provider Made Tech, was designed to revolutionise the digital delivery partnership model between the NHS and its technology partners, the company said.

Alongside this it is aiming to change the model of engagement to help the NHS achieve a core level of digitisation.

Any NHS hospital or trust can access the Made Well Collective to:

• Freely use any digital solution designed by Made Tech for the NHS, to enable projects and platforms to be reused and replicated
• Find and connect with other NHS organisations sharing the same priorities to pool resources and use a co-funding model to deliver digital tools for less
• Ensure solutions are built to NHS values of open standards
• Use co-working and coaching to share knowledge and upskill teams to make co-delivery smoother

Hazel Jones, head of health at Made Tech said: “Having worked for many years in digital service design in the NHS, I’ve seen first-hand the challenges of working with technology suppliers. Decades of expensive, proprietary technology solutions have created significant blockers to innovation, resulting in legacy issues and mistrust of technology providers.

“We feel strongly that this is the right thing to do as digital delivery partners. When a tool or product has been funded with public money it should be available for other parts of the NHS to reuse and adapt to theirs and their patients’ needs.

“More than this, we have a responsibility to enable and nurture collaborative and open ways of working across the NHS, ensuring every service has the ability to provide the best care possible. With the Made Well Collective, we will change the model of engagement to further help the NHS to achieve a core level of digitisation.”