Gigabit Pathways for Health: Guidance for applicants

All organisations should work within their respective ICSs for the submission of a business case to access funding. During the financial year 2022/2023, ICS will take on greater responsibility, however if an individual trust (for example an ambulance trust) is ready to proceed when the wider ICS/ICB is not, it should proceed on its own and keep the ICS/ICB appraised of its intentions and progress.

The Gigabit Pathway business case is a standalone business case that seeks to identify the route to achieve gigabit and associated central, local and government funding sources to enact the gigabit pathway. Where re-procurement activity is underway, this should be referenced as a dependency but the business case still completed to ensure the funding is agreed and secured both centrally and locally.

Gigabit capable infrastructure is critical to enabling organisations (ICS/ICBs) to undertake continued digital transformation based on the minimum 30% year on year increase in bandwidth consumption. Not prioritising engagement at this time will risk the organisation/s not having access to gigabit capable infrastructure when it requires it and up to 18 month lead times to achieve this when the request is made.

If the commercial market delivery timeline changes you should provide details of all sites (eligible and not) to the regional lead. Engagement with the Future Connectivity Programme and the Gigabit Pathway will identify a route to achieve gigabit capability for all sites and identify areas that require funding information. The process includes frequent data checks to ascertain if commercial plans have changed to ensure the most effective and efficient route to gigabit can be identified, which may include sites becoming eligible for DCMS Project Gigabit funding.

The business case should provide the most efficient and effective route to achieve gigabit capability based on the demand profile for bandwidth at the local level, this will include commercial and procurement details and routes to market. Failure to follow compliant or recommended processes may risk monies not being made available from the centre to fund this work.

Non NHS sites

If the local health system (CCG (ICB) or trust) is reliant upon connectivity to a site whether in their ownership or not, this should be included within the scope of the Gigabit Pathway. Investment (if eligible) from the central programme will only be part funded for installation and service uplift contribution, therefore the local system will still need to match fund and also make investments to appropriate/relevant sites.

Multiple sites to support corporate and public traffic 

All infrastructure is in scope, the service layer is the responsibility of the local organisation. As part of the development of the Gigabit Pathway, the organisation should detail all sites and the required level of connectivity at these (corporate clinical and public) to enable the required pathway and any associated funding to accelerate infrastructure can be identified. 

Offender health 

Offender health where a health service is in situ and can demonstrate the demand profile for increased bandwidth and a need for gigabit capability it would be in scope and may be eligible for funding support if gigabit provision is not currently available or planned in the short-term (6 months).

Data centres

We expect data centres already has far greater scope than 1GBps circuits so they would not be expected to be in scope.  

Secondary circuits 

Secondary circuits are not in scope for this programme. This should not deter a local organisation for undertaking any necessary works it feels are required as part of its business continuity planning, but the Future Connectivity programme is unable to fund these.

Covid-19 vaccinations centres

Covid-19 vaccinations centres are out of scope for this work. The provisioning of connectivity and associated infrastructure for these sites is controlled and funded directly by NHS England.

Ambulance trusts 

All organisations should work within their respective ICSs for the submission of a business case to access funding. During the financial year 2022/2023, ICS will take on greater responsibility, however if the individual ambulance trust is ready to proceed when the wider ICS/ICB is not, it should proceed on its own and keep the ICS/ICB appraised of its intentions and progress. Any funding allocation would be directly to the ambulance trust.

The ICS or ICB must be the lead organisation for the application and be in the organisation which receives the funding.  Where an organisation is reliant on a Commissioning Support Unit (CSU)  or other third party provider they should work in conjunction with this partner but business cases and funding receipts must be in the organisation name and not the CSU or other 3rd party.

You can submit a request for sites outside your geographic area.  The Gigabit Pathway business case should include any site, regardless of location that is under your responsibility for the provisioning of connectivity services. The programme will work with all parties to ensure the funding is proportioned appropriately and will achieve gigabit capability when required.

Wherever feasible funding will be attained at ICS level, however, if organisations or geographic areas within the same ICS footprint are operating at different paces, the monies may be paid in part to the areas that are progressing. For primary care, all monies will be paid to the ICS in single or multiple payments through NHSE transfer processes. Funding for secondary care (trusts) will be made directly to the trust via the DHSC payment process.

The organisation will continue to remain responsible for the provisioning and payment of their required service provision. The programme will make a one-off payment (revenue) per site when it connects to gigabit connectivity up to 31/03/25 towards the service uplift cost.

The programme will provide an indication of any funding it will make available as part of the assessments on circuits and routes to gigabit as part of the Gigabit Pathway development. The local system will also be expected to match any investment made.

The programme does not fund HSCN (service) procurement activity. Funding from this programme is for the acceleration and the availability of gigabit infrastructure, which may or may not be over-layed with a HSCN service. If an organisation is seeking to achieve gigabit capability through HSCN procurement, the development of the Gigabit Pathway Business Case must be completed in parallel to ascertain the availability of gigabit currently and projected and also any funding that may be available to accelerate the infrastructure (gigabit).

The provisioning of gigabit capable infrastructure provides benefit to both HSCN and Internet First ambitions. The provisioning of gigabit capable infrastructure will ensure NHS sites have access to gigabit capable speeds and the infrastructure accessible to the wholesale market whether for internet only services or HSCN. The end-user organisation remains responsible for the provisioning of their required service layer over this infrastructure. The provisioning of infrastructure is service provider agnostic.

Single and multiple circuits for multioccupancy buildings

The ICS/ICB must be the lead organisation for the application and receipt of funding to support gigabit capabilities. Where an organisation is reliant on a CSU (or other 3rd party provider), they should work in conjunction with this partner but business cases and funding receipts must be in the organisation name and not the CSU or other 3rd party.

We do no provide direct guidance on whether a building should have single or multiple circuits and connections for multi-occupancy buildings. Whilst single circuit and connection will likely provide better value for money this must be determined by the site occupants against their individual requirements.

Investment in infrastructure will only be made where exclusivity is not a restricting factor and the infrastructure is accessible to telecos through the wholesale market. The purpose of this is to avoid situation where markets become restrictive, for example infrastructure is restricted to certain providers which would therefore limit (reduce) the current number of HSCN providers to provision services at these sites.

If the required infrastructure is in the ground to enable the organisation to increase their 1Gbps and the only limitations are end point hardware or service contracts then these services will not be in scope as the infrastructure in the ground is already gigabit capable. Any other circumstance would be considered as part of the Gigabit Pathway as to whether it would/would not be included.

If a site has fibre connections but they are not lit up the programme has proportioned an allocation of revenue based funding to make available as a one-off contribution per site towards the service up-lift between existing connectivity charge and a gigabit connectivity, this is equivalent of the monthly difference for up to 6 months (estimated in region of £600 - £700 one off payment). Final calculation of uplift contribution will be calculated upon completion of data and intel gathering and for inclusion into the Gigabit Pathway Business Case. Payment of this money will be subject to an organisation taking the connection within a set period of time to be determined based on availability and accessibility.

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