Lead beyond your walls: A system-wide view

Drive collaboration in the integrated care system (ICS) era

In the era of integrated care systems, the biggest challenges and opportunities extend beyond the wall of any single trust. Boards must shape priorities together as a system to deliver maximum impact for patients.

Recognise that challenges like interoperability can only be solved at the ICS level, which means empowering your CDIO to engage in collaboration with ICS partners on shared initiatives like shared EPRs and data sharing agreements. Critically understand how you can support them in making this work. This includes working to remove barriers, especially self-imposed barriers within your organisation where the detail can seem to be very operational in nature but often board level support is needed to have a significant impact.

Govern system-wide risks

A system-wide, digital view also applies to risks. Including:

• Vendor lock-in / reluctance to challenge assumptions, which can lead to significant missed opportunities.
• Investment in 'fadware', untested and highly marketed IT ‘solutions’ which can distract from the key strategic capabilities needed.
• Disconnected ways of working that can isolate tech and data from wider strategic change and reduce the impact of investment and effort.

Boards must also understand that cyber risk is a direct patient safety issue as well as a technical, financial and reputational one. This requires seeking assurance not only on internal systems but also supply chain risk from third-party vendors. They are a critical part of the digital ecosystem. Ensure that robust, system-wide business continuity plans are not just written down, but are regularly and rigorously tested.