BCHC Secure WAN

Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (BCHC), Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (BSMHFT), and Birmingham and Solihull GP Partnership Support Unit (GPPSU) are reviewing their WAN infrastructure both individually and collaboratively, aiming to develop a future blueprint for the ICB and ICS. This process involves testing the market to identify the design requirements for the Trusts are accurate.

Driven by NHS England's 10 Year Plan and improving the Trusts’ Cyber Security posture, the aim of the collaboration is to build on previous investments in digital transformation and national strategies like Cloud First and Zero Trust. The collaboration will enable federated access and authentication across the ICB, supporting cross Trust clinical services.

Currently, each Trust operates separate WANs with varying levels of service and infrastructure challenges, such as capacity limitations, inconsistent Wi-Fi, security gaps, and operational inefficiencies. These issues affect clinical operations, staff productivity, and patient care, causing delays, increased risks, and frustration.

By working together, the Trusts are looking to establish a robust digital foundation, meeting today’s needs and enabling ubiquitous data access for staff across an innovative and community based ICB. WAN services at the three Trusts are currently delivered through three separate contracts utilising a variety of technologies.