Cloud Centre of Excellence - NHS Cloud strategy

The NHS Cloud Strategy's aim is to guide NHS and other health care organisation in harnessing cloud computing and to move to a cloud based environment. This can offer many benefits including a flexible and aglie environment which is environmentally sustainable and an increasingly cost-effective solution to the traditional server infrastructure model.

In a rapidly changing digital world technology increasingly underpins much of the work undertaken by the NHS and healthcare organisations. This has led to an advanced digital healthcare landscape from assisted AI medical care, electronic patient records to the forefront of healthcare with virtual wards and remote monitoring.

Healthcare professionals in the vanguard of the NHS are continually exploring ways to incorporate this cutting-edge and innovative technology into the healthcare ecosystem, for the benefit of patients. Cloud computing is one of these advances, and since 2013 and the launch of the UK Government’s Cloud-First Policy the NHS has started to exploit the benefits that a Cloud platform can provide.

Audience

This strategy should be read by all partners in an ICS setting including, but not limited to

• NHS trusts - acute, community, mental health, and ambulance
• NHS arm’s length bodies
• government bodies working with the NHS
• healthcare providers to the NHS

The role of the NHS Cloud strategy is to encourage and support NHS and healthcare bodies towards using public cloud services and the internet as a preferred method of connectivity and realise the benefits of cloud computing and enable a wider reach of connectivity. The program focuses on sharing both information and knowledge, which organisations can use when designing services in the cloud.

There is great demand across the public sector which includes the NHS and healthcare organisations for cloud services and organisations are already using a variety of platforms. We aim to influence organisations from a position of knowledge and to promote best practices across the public sector. The Cloud Centre of Excellence (CCoE) and Cloud community has been established across the NHS and healthcare to enable this.

You can use the following resources in a way that makes sense for you. However, we recommend you

• read the opening summary to get a high level understanding of what the strategy is about and the impact to patients
• read our Cloud primer to understand key concepts and terminology of cloud services
• adopt the NHS Cloud strategy and understand its vision and objectives;
• read our Cloud adoption to ensure you understand NHS position on cloud and internet and how your organisation can align to this strategy;
• share our Cloud policies to establish a baseline understanding and adopt best practices of cloud and internet first across your organisation;
• follow the Cloud security policy which is based on the NCSC 14 Security Cloud Principles to guide consistent decision making and beneficial security-focused behaviours when adopting and using cloud services;
• understand what cloud governance needs to be put in place within your organisation using the Cloud Governance policy; 
• promote the benefits of cloud to help stakeholders understand the many benefits of using public cloud services

Alternatively, we have provided targeted guidance based on role within your organisation on what areas of cloud you should be aware of and guidance to help you.