Creation of an innovative roadmap for Enterprise Architecture (EA), to support improved patient outcomes
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key fact
Enterprise Architecture is clearly a vital requirement for the future of digital services in NNUH, with important links to the wider Integrated Care Partnership.
Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (NNUH) is a major healthcare provider based in Norwich, England. It operates the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, serving a large population in Norfolk, Suffolk, and surrounding areas. NNUH provides a wide range of healthcare services, including general medical care, emergency services, surgical procedures, and specialist treatments.
The Trust is also a teaching hospital, working closely with the University of East Anglia’s Medical School. It focuses on both clinical excellence and medical research, contributing to healthcare innovation and education.
Challenge
NNUH sought to explore what would be required to integrate an Enterprise Architecture (EA) Practice into their Digital Health (IT) organisation and the potential benefits for key initiatives within the Trust, across the Integrated Care Partnership and other regional trusts.
With the TOGAF (The Open Group Architecture Framework) already selected, NNUH needed an experienced partner to guide them. This partner would assess current practices and processes, identify alignment with TOGAF, and perform a gap analysis.
Additionally, they would need to craft a strategic plan for implementing an EA Practice, detailing the necessary roles and structure.
Solution
Our collaboration with NNUH started with in-depth discussions to define their requirements and desired outcomes. This enabled us to create a high-level, tailored proposal.
Key Aspects of the EA Service:
- Organisational scale: NNUH is a healthcare organisation with around 12,000 employees across multiple locations.
- Technological understanding: We integrated traditional IT systems with connected clinical technologies for seamless operations.
- Flexible framework: We proposed a “TOGAF light” approach, aligning with the TOGAF framework without imposing a rigid structure.
- Comprehensive assessment: Our strategy included a thorough assessment of current practices and policies, followed by actionable recommendations to enhance their EA Practice.
Our Approach:
To meet NNUH’s needs, we utilised the Mason Advisory EA Maturity Assessment, aligned with TOGAF but focused on their specific requirements. Our engagement followed three stages:
1. Structured Discovery
2. Analysis & Findings
3. Report Back
During discovery, we conducted structured interviews with fourteen senior stakeholders from the Digital Health organisation. Stakeholder interaction was very positive, providing valuable insights from various functional perspectives.
Our analysis, driven by our proprietary EA maturity model, considered detailed findings from stakeholder interactions, focusing on eight EA capability domains and broader issues across Digital Health.
This structured approach provided NNUH with a clear, actionable roadmap, ensuring their Enterprise Architecture was tailored to their specific needs and poised to deliver significant benefits.
Outcome
NNUH is at the early stages of their Enterprise Architecture journey. The decision to adopt TOGAF as a standard, coupled with strong senior leadership commitment, marks a crucial first step.
Establishing TOGAF as the standard for NNUH and aligning it with existing Digital Health standards and governance is essential. This foundational step will enable the EA function to evolve through various change initiatives, gradually introducing the standards, controls, and tools necessary for a robust Enterprise Architecture. This structured approach will ensure NNUH’s EA function delivers significant value across the organisation.
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