Future Connectivity

Health and care organisations continue to adopt, deploy and rely on more sophisticated digital services. It is critical to ensure the right underlying network infrastructure, broadband connectivity and WiFi technology is in place to support the growing demand for bandwidth and reliable connectivity especially in those locations which are hard to reach. 

The Future Connectivity Programme consists of 2 active projects:

• Gigabit Pathways for Health
• Connectivity Hub

By 2025, the Future Connectivity programme will identify priority health and care sites and match fund installation costs to enable the NHS to achieve the timely adoption of gigabit capable connectivity by:

• baselining existing connectivity and network infrastructure and identifying its future connectivity requirements, developing local investment cases for connectivity
• ensuring alignment and exploitation of DCMS’s Project Gigabit and commercial activity, investing directly where neither DCMS nor the market will deliver in time
• providing expert commercial, delivery and industry support and guidance to enable effective and efficient access to better connectivity services
• enabling organisations to take up gigabit capable connections through funding contributions

It will also ensure the NHS maximises opportunities from WiFi technologies through the Connectivity Hub.

The programme is in place to enable the provisioning of wired and wireless connectivity across the health and care sector including:

• Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs)
• Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) as they are formed
• GPs
• Acute hospitals
• Mental health
• Community health
• Ambulance
• Care homes