Northamptonshire tops NHS digital maturity rankings following rapid transformation

Northamptonshire has been named the most digitally mature integrated care system in England, marking a significant turnaround for a system that was among the lowest performing just two years ago.

NHS England has published digital maturity scores for all trusts and integrated care boards, with Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) ranked number one nationally. The result reflects a system-wide approach to shared data, population health and workforce capability.

At the centre of this transformation is the Northamptonshire Care Record, which connects data for more than 800,000 people across health and care settings, giving professionals access to real-time information to support clinical decision-making. The programme is also delivering measurable efficiency gains, with the shared care record on track to generate more than £1 million in savings through reduced duplication, improved coordination and better use of clinical time.

By bringing together data from across organisations into a single, shared view, the system is helping clinicians spend less time searching for information and more time focusing on patient care. It is also enabling teams to better coordinate care across settings, reduce duplication and make more informed decisions at the point of care.

The shared record supports a wide range of use cases, from day-to-day clinical decision-making through to more complex care planning. This includes access to key documents such as Recommended Summary Plan for Emergency Care and Treatment (ReSPECT) plans, ensuring that patients’ wishes and clinical recommendations are visible to professionals across the system, particularly in urgent or end-of-life situations.

Alongside this, Northamptonshire is using population health insights to identify patients most at risk and intervene earlier, helping to shift care away from reactive, hospital-based models towards more proactive, community-based support.

The impact is already being felt on the frontline. At Lakelands Hospice in Corby, for example, the shared care record has improved access to timely, accurate information, enabling teams to make quicker decisions and focus more of their time on supporting patients and families.

Matthew Hutton, digital lead at Northamptonshire ICB, said:

We were one of the lowest performing systems in the country just a few years ago. What we’ve shown is that, with the right focus and collaboration, it’s possible to make rapid and meaningful progress.

By connecting data and using it more effectively, we’re able to identify people earlier, support them in the community and ensure that care reflects patients’ needs and preferences.

The improvement in Northamptonshire reflects a broader shift across the NHS, with systems that are investing in shared records, data integration and population health management beginning to demonstrate stronger performance.