Global Digital Exemplar

The Global Digital Exemplar (GDE) programme is an NHS England initiative to achieve digital transformation in selected exemplar organisations and to create a knowledge sharing ecosystem to spread learning from these exemplars. The programme is to enable "digitally advanced" NHS trusts to share knowledge with other NHS trusts, specifically knowledge gained during the implementation of IT systems, and especially experience from introducing electronic health record (EHR) systems. The GDE project is expected to last two to three and a half years; with the most digitally advanced trusts on the shorter time scale.
Four rounds of exemplars have been announced so far — two waves of acute trust GDEs, and one wave each of ambulance trusts, and mental health trusts. In addition, eighteen acute trust "fast followers" have been partnered with the acute trusts.
The programme involves the investment of £395 million. Each GDE will receive "up to £10 million" to spend on digital projects. The funding must be matched locally, but not necessarily in cash.
Programme elements.
Each Global Digital Exemplar (GDE) received £10 million and their matched Fast Followers (FFs) received £5 million (£5 million for GDEs and £3 million for FFs in mental health); and they were required to secure matched funding internally. The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model (EMRAM) was chosen as a guide for programme outputs, with GDEs expect to obtain HIMSS Level 7 and FFs, HIMSS Level 5.
The partnerships between GDEs and FFs constitute a formal mechanism to support knowledge transfer. The programme also introduced the idea of "Blueprints", documents describing how to implement digital technologies in healthcare.
Exemplars.
Acute exemplars.
The first twelve exemplars were announced in 2016. A second wave added another four in 2017.
Although NHS England refers to this grouping of exemplars as "acute", a number of the hospitals operated by trusts within this group are specialised hospitals. Examples include, Alder Hey Children's Hospital and Western Eye Hospital.
Fast followers.
There are eighteen acute "fast follower" trusts, each of which has been partnered with an acute GDE.
Ambulance exemplars.
As of July 2018, there are three ambulance trust exemplars.
Mental health exemplars.
There are currently seven mental health trust GDEs.