With the day-to-day operations of Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust so reliant on its email system, necessary upgrades had to avoid disruption to this critical system. The Trust turned to BDS Solutions to implement NHSmail, providing them with enhanced security and collaboration.
Collaborative community
Bridgewater employs almost 2,000 people and serves over 500,000 people in the north west of England across a number of sites. The Trust managed an in-house Microsoft Exchange-based email system, which no longer fitted their requirements.
“Departments requested the use of collaborative platforms and tried to implement independent solutions which did not have privacy standards,” said James Hogan, Information Security Manager at Bridgewater.
“These independent solutions were also not easy to support; they would have added complexity by bringing in a number of different systems to manage. At the same time, NHS Digital were offering Trusts a centrally managed service based on established Microsoft technology.
“In addition to enabling access to collaboration platforms, like Skype, NHSmail was already configured to achieve the required regulatory standard, DCBI 1596, which is the NHS Secure Email standard, required to securely send sensitive data via email. As Microsoft was a known and trusted supplier, we decided to make the move,” explained James.
NHSmail was chosen by the Trust because of the cost savings; centrally funded by the Department of Health until 2021, it enabled the removal of hardware and software capital expenditure, ongoing maintenance as well as data centre costs. It also eliminated expenditure and effort associated with achieving and retaining the Secure Email standard.
Management by NHS Digital ensures 99.9% availability of NHSmail, as well as transferring support and the associated risk away from the Trust.
Smooth implementation
The Trust is part of the North West Shared Infrastructure Services (NWSIS) community, alongside eight other NHS members, who share resources and collaborate to ensure cost-effective IT across the group.
BDS Solutions have been working with the NWSIS for over 15 years. With expertise of the group’s systems, Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Trust turned to BDS Solutions to implement NHSmail.
BDS Solutions’ fully managed service included Identity Mapping using BDS Solutions Directory Manager software, provisioning services and data migration using the NHS Digital approved BDS Solutions NHSmail Migration Toolkit and PRINCE 2 Project Management from initiation to closure.
“Using BDS to implement NHSmail filled me with confidence. Not only did they have the knowledge required for the NWSIS community systems, they are a trusted supplier. Although a third-party, they are part of the team and understood the serious risk that the loss of email can bring.
“We moved all users that were on the old Microsoft Exchange to NHSmail. All data from these mailboxes needed to be retained and shifted to the new system with no impact on the day-to-day.
“People do not realise their reliance on email until they have issues. We trusted that BDS Solutions could deliver the project without causing any upset from email downtime. And they did. No one got upset. Everyone was happy – so a very successful implementation,” exclaimed James.
NHSmail enhancements
With the NHSmail seamlessly implemented, Bridgewater is realising the benefits. “Patient identifiable data can now be sent via email. We now have access to Office 365 and Microsoft Teams which has addressed the need for collaboration tools. These save time, but the biggest advantage is risk reduction,” said James.
“There is less risk of accidentally sending patient data to the wrong person, and less problems from having to switch between systems – patient data is amalgamated in one place. With no attachments, links to documents helps with version control which enhances efficiencies and provides security.
“One of the biggest advantages is that you do not have to get on the motorway to attend an hour meeting. The ability to go on Skype and have an online meeting saves significant time. You can even simultaneously change a document online. There is no longer the need to gear your day around travel,” added James.
Bridgewater’s IT team is also benefiting from more time resource. “We have decommissioned the email server in the data centre that is no longer required, which is a cost saving, and our employees that were focused on supporting and managing the email system have been repurposed. These experienced employees are now focusing on new technology, such as cloud solutions.
“The main challenge through all the change was getting acceptance from the user base. The biggest challenge is always the culture. People struggle with change and view technology warily. For some this technology is alien to them, so communications were critical, alongside a robust FAQ, and priming the service desk to receive a higher amount of calls,” said James.
Bridgewater now have an email service that is robust, serving their needs today and into the future. “BDS Solutions knowledge and understanding helped us generate the correct environment to support this major transformation and consequently the organisation has adapted to the change in a very positive manner,” summarised James.
For more information about BDS Solutions’ NHSmail migration service, click here.