Shaping Cloud partnered with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) to design a comprehensive, tailored cloud strategy for 20 public sector organizations, facilitating digital transformation across health and social care services in the region. This collaboration resulted in the creation of the GM Digital Platform and GMID, supported by a strong partnership with Microsoft, to enhance accessibility, integration, and technological innovation for Greater Manchester's public services.

Situation

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) envisioned a digitally connected health and social care system to improve service accessibility for residents and empower staff with advanced technology. However, realising this vision posed significant challenges. The region’s technological infrastructure was fragmented across 20 public sector organisations, including Mental Health Trusts, Acute Trusts, NWAS, and local authorities. Each organisation had distinct goals, systems, and levels of readiness, requiring a tailored approach to cloud adoption.

Compounding the complexity was the lack of alignment in IT strategies and infrastructure, which were heavily reliant on legacy systems. These outdated setups limited the organisations’ ability to innovate, collaborate, or adopt modern, cloud-native solutions. The GMCA needed a unified digital strategy that considered the unique needs of each organisation while fostering collaboration at a pan-regional level.

Solution

Shaping Cloud approached the challenge with a strategic and collaborative mindset, engaging approximately 200 stakeholders across 20 organisations to deeply understand their ambitions, concerns, and technical realities. This extensive consultation laid the foundation for a comprehensive digital transformation roadmap.

Our solution involved creating tailored cloud adoption plans for each organisation, supported by readiness assessments and financial modelling to ensure practicality and transparency. We developed a pan-regional digital strategy, aligning individual needs with a unified vision for modernisation across the region, fostering collaboration and reducing duplication of efforts.

Recognising the importance of integrated access, we designed and implemented GMID—a federated identity management system combining AAD B2C and NHS Login. This platform provided secure, seamless access to applications and data for workers, residents, and patients.

To ensure continued progress, we facilitated ongoing collaboration between GMCA, GM NHS, and Microsoft, organising monthly meetings over the course of a year. Our holistic strategy document included comprehensive deliverables such as discovery findings, application assessments, future-state designs, licensing evaluations, skills appraisals, Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) models, and a compelling business case.

By addressing both technical and organisational complexities, we laid the groundwork for the GM Digital Platform and informed the GM Digital Blueprint, setting a clear and actionable path for digital transformation.

Benefits

  • Unified Digital Vision:
    Shaping Cloud delivered a comprehensive, pan-regional strategy that aligned the digital ambitions of 20 diverse public sector organisations. This alignment reduced duplication of efforts and created a cohesive framework for future innovation, ensuring that the technological growth of the region was both coordinated and scalable.

  • Tailored Cloud Adoption:
    Each organisation received a bespoke cloud adoption plan, crafted to reflect its unique goals, operational needs, and technical readiness. This individualised approach enabled every entity, from Mental Health Trusts to local authorities, to modernise in a way that was practical and impactful for their specific environment.

  • Integrated Identity Management (GMID):
    The creation of GMID—a federated identity management system integrating AAD B2C and NHS Login—was a game-changer. By providing seamless, secure login access to applications and data for workers, residents, and patients, GMID reduced administrative barriers and fostered a culture of collaboration. This platform was pivotal in enabling consistent access across regional apps and data sources, improving user experience and security.

  • Infrastructure Modernisation:
    The GM Digital Platform laid the foundation for a modern, cloud-based infrastructure across the region. This shift not only replaced outdated systems but also introduced scalability, flexibility, and improved reliability, enabling organisations to deliver better, more efficient services to residents and staff.

  • Enhanced Service Delivery:
    With improved IT infrastructure, organisations could focus more on delivering high-quality health and social care services rather than being bogged down by legacy system limitations. The streamlined access to modern tools and data allowed healthcare workers to collaborate more effectively and deliver more patient-centric care.

  • Cost Efficiency and Transparency:
    Through meticulous financial modelling, including a Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) analysis, the strategy identified cost-saving opportunities. These included optimising existing resources, transitioning to more flexible subscription-based services, and eliminating redundant systems. The TCO model provided transparency, helping stakeholders understand the financial and operational benefits of the proposed changes.

  • Strengthened Regional Collaboration:
    Shaping Cloud’s efforts fostered unprecedented collaboration between GMCA, GM NHS, and other local entities. The unified strategy promoted shared learning and resource utilisation, creating a foundation for stronger, region-wide partnerships in the future.

  • Partnership with Microsoft:
    The sustained engagement with Microsoft brought cutting-edge technology and strategic expertise to the table. Monthly meetings between GMCA, GM NHS, and Microsoft ensured continuous alignment with the latest innovations and developments, solidifying a technological partnership that provided enduring value.

  • Actionable Roadmap for the Future:
    The GM Digital Blueprint provided a clear and actionable roadmap for continued digital transformation across Greater Manchester. It ensured that the region was not just solving immediate challenges but also future-proofing its services to adapt to evolving demands.

  • Empowered Workforce and Residents:
    The digital transformation enabled by Shaping Cloud empowered healthcare and social care staff by giving them access to modern, cloud-based tools. Residents, too, benefited from improved accessibility to health and social care services, supported by seamless digital infrastructure.

The partnership with Shaping Cloud not only overcame immediate challenges but also propelled the GMCA to the forefront of regional public sector digital transformation, setting a benchmark for innovation, collaboration, and visionary leadership.