Transforming healthcare through cloud migration

The growing demand for interoperability of technology in the UK healthcare sector highlights the importance of migrating legacy systems to the cloud. This article outlines how cloud migration offers an opportunity to modernise and streamline NHS service delivery, especially where the underlying technology has undergone numerous adaptations and requires updating.

BJSS is a trusted design and technology partner of the NHS. We understand the extent of the challenges the NHS face when it comes to outdated systems and the need for modernisation.

Our technologists understand the vast complexities of the NHS technology landscape and modern engineering in the cloud to maximise the benefits of migration.

Our designers have conducted in-depth user research with clinicians and staff delivering services across the NHS. This research often highlights their difficulties and frustrations with legacy technology in their daily work. Patient insights gained from research through usability testing and analysis demonstrate its impact when people engage with the breadth of NHS services.

The challenges that come with legacy systems

Legacy systems in UK healthcare are expensive to maintain, pose security risks, and are slow or impossible to integrate new technologies and architectures, impacting overall efficiency and security.

The NHS health tech eco-system has evolved into a hub and spoke model where technology is devolved to individual Trusts and data needs to come into a central hub to be shared and utilised. With the development and growth of health system will come an increasing number of providers with their own technologies and digital channels, increasing the need for modern integration and the ability to adapt quickly.

Outdated technologies will only become more challenging and hinder the centralised efforts to aggregate and share data. This constrains the ability of critical interoperability for effective data sharing and patient care, with inconsistent data sharing leading to inefficiencies.

Huge strides have been made in connecting health data across the system and with the patient, with programs and applications such as the NHS App streamlining patient interaction NHS services, allowing for required information to be presented in one place.

Cloud migration benefits for healthcare

Using modern systems for efficient health data sharing can enhance patient outcomes by providing timely and accurate information for patient care, avoiding waste and delays, and supporting comprehensive clinical and administrative decisions.

However, fundamentally it is not the specific cloud technology that enables modernisation. It is the ability to rapidly build a PoC, and progress through to alpha and beta quickly and then continually evolve the service with minimal effort and risk.

Far too often organisations waste time and money with analysis and strategy creation over years, and don’t experiment and learn quickly. Cloud unlocks that key capability to enable digital teams to understand the need and technologists to rapidly build and prototype, with feedback and iteration stages key to product success.

Modernising legacy systems has multiple benefits for any public sector organisation where trust and cost efficiencies are vital. Moving to the cloud can reduce costs associated with maintaining legacy technology and mitigate risks related to security and skill shortages, as well as provide the foundation for evolution in the future.

For example, BJSS migrated the NHS’ e-RS system to the cloud resulting in £50.5m annual cost savings for secondary care providers, a 75% reduction in referral processing times and a 50% reduction in missed appointments. Crucially, the modernisation of the service also allowed it to evolve as the needs of the NHS do and new requirements for integration emerge.

“It needs to be faster and easier to share information effectively. If all components move slowly, the problem of interoperability will worsen. Moving away from legacy systems and adopting flexible, modern technologies can make the process more efficient and cost-effective in the long run, although it is not a simple problem to solve in a large complex organization like the NHS.”

James Storr, Healthcare Chief Technology Officer, BJSS

Challenges of cloud migration for healthcare organisations

Too often cloud migration and application modernisations fall into the trap of comparing upfront costs of legacy and migrated solutions. Comparing the cloud costs of a “lift-and-shift” application which has not been modernised for the cloud to a legacy application on legacy infrastructure will always be more expensive.

Legacy infrastructure is likely to have been optimised over many years and has far less capability than the cloud equivalent. The comparison is mis-aligned and does not recognise the ability to change, modernise and ultimately release business value, safely and more rapidly.

Starting your cloud migration journey

It's evident that cloud migration in healthcare has many considerations. The key is to identify where your organisation is today, what needs to be done, and in which order you should mobilise to deliver the best strategic results.

Working with BJSS empowers you to deliver a successful cloud migration. Our experts will assess your organisation and work with you to strategically plan a bespoke migration approach to align with your business objectives and maximise benefits.

We have experience of working with critical NHS services from planning cloud migration through to implementation, with ongoing support and evolution of services to meet patient needs, with accelerators allowing this value to be experienced quicker than ever before.

Finding an organisation that understands the intricacies of a complex healthcare environment will ensure the migration addresses stringent regulatory compliances including patient data protection. This harmony of healthcare knowledge and engineering capability ensures the right outcomes are achieved and anticipated benefits of cloud migration are experienced for the NHS.

Migrate and modernise

Discover how we can assist you with cloud migration and modernisation to meet your security, user experience, and cost goals.

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Summing up

The challenges and importance of legacy migration in the healthcare sector are evident. They highlight the need for interoperability, cost reduction, and improved patient outcomes through modernising infrastructure and adopting new technologies. Effective data sharing is crucial for improving patient outcomes by reducing inefficiencies and delays.

Modernising legacy systems can lead to enhanced security and rapid adoption of new features. Cloud migration presents challenges such as deciding between building or buying solutions, managing costs, and ensuring scalability and security.

But a planned and structured approach will lead to successful cloud migration and modernisation that can significantly enhance patient care by ensuring timely access to accurate information and reducing administrative burdens.