Accelerating digital health transformation to support new models of care in the South West – HTAAF
Through the Health Technology Adoption and Acceleration Fund (HTAAF), the South West region has deployed nine innovative technologies across primary, secondary and community settings, focused on enhancing digital access, creating new at-home care and diagnostic pathways, and easing pressure on acute services.
Impact
- An estimated 400 patients have benefited from new digital tools since roll-out began.
- AI risk stratification tool live in six of 16 engaged PCNs in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, enabling proactive and personalised care, with a reported 30% improvement in integrated working.
- Point of care testing (PoCT) enhanced clinical decision-making and patient care in Devon and Somerset as part of their Hospital@Home, Virtual Ward, and Urgent Community Response pathways:
- 60% of results were interpreted within 10 minutes, 80% of cases avoided additional visits due to immediate diagnostic feedback, and 97.5% of staff reported increased confidence in decision-making, in a pilot involving 40 patients in Somerset.
- PoCT was used in nine out of ten home visits in Devon, with results available in under three minutes. It enabled timely medication adjustments, reduced travel, supported shared decisions with patients and families, and was particularly valuable in urgent care situations.
Project summary
This programme supported the adoption of nine digital technologies across NHS Devon, Somerset, and Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly through the Health Tech Adoption and Acceleration Fund (HTAAF), a 12-month programme initiated by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.
Health Innovation South West facilitated an ICB collaboration to secure HTAAF funding in a regionally aligned approach, focused on transforming models of care, to enable at-home management, drive operational efficiencies, support the workforce, and embed more preventive approaches into everyday practice.
The technologies deployed range from AI-enabled risk stratification tools to virtual wards, point-of-care diagnostics, and remote monitoring. As well as helping to redesign care delivery across primary, community, and acute settings, the joint deployment demonstrates the strength of regional collaboration and shared learning in scaling innovation and enhancing care experiences across the South West. Benefits have included improved access, improved operational efficiency, higher staff confidence, improved patient management and enhanced patient and staff engagement, demonstrating the power of coordinated digital health deployment.
Five of the nine technology deployments were subject to detailed evaluation by Health Innovation South West, including a pilot of point of care testing in the Virtual Wards and Hospital@Home pathways in Somerset and Devon, and AI risk stratification tool BRAVE AI. Implementation and evaluation of BRAVE AI was in collaboration with the NHS England South West Digital Neighbourhoods Programme.
Rationale
Across the South West, the NHS is navigating widespread pressures that demand new ways of delivering care. These include rising demand for primary and urgent care, growing pressure on hospitals, and ongoing workforce challenges that affect recruitment, retention, and clinical capacity. Long travel times, limited infrastructure, and a higher-than-average ageing population worsen health inequalities, making timely care harder to deliver, especially in rural and coastal communities.
Many communities also face socio-economic challenges, such as high deprivation, digital exclusion, and fewer hospital beds per capita. Transport barriers and geographical isolation compound these issues, especially for those living furthest from traditional healthcare services.
Together, these challenges highlight the need for transforming care delivery through scalable,
digitally enabled solutions. This programme is testing and embedding innovation and new care models across primary, community and acute settings, to support earlier intervention, better patient management, and more efficient use of resources. It also shows that digitally enabled care transformation depends as much on relationships and cultural readiness as on technology itself, and highlights the value of regional insight in adapting digital technologies across care pathways.
Key stakeholders
- This work was delivered through a regional partnership between NHS Devon, NHS Somerset, and NHS Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly, in collaboration with Health Innovation South West.
- Health Innovation South West coordinated bids, aligned implementation models, supported reporting and led on evaluation.
- Local delivery teams, NHS Trusts, PCNs, and community partners, including NHS Digital, played a critical role, alongside visible support from Executive CIOs and ICS Digital Directors across the three systems.
- NHS England South West Digital Neighbourhoods Programme team played a central role in the spread and testing of BRAVE AI as part of the programme.
Next steps
Health Innovation South West have completed evaluations with the teams across point of care testing in Somerset Foundation Trust and Devon University Hospitals Plymouth, usability and feasibility evaluation of cardiac wearables in Royal Devon and Exeter, and formative evaluation of BRAVE AI in Cornwall with Cornwall and NHS England South West partners.
Insights will inform scale-up plans and future investment, while regional coordination is recommended to resolve digital integration challenges and systemic data and governance barriers.
