The South West Provider Collaborative (SWPC) will deploy an electronic referral and bed management solution for specialist mental health services in the region. 

SWPC is partnership which includes NHS trusts, independent sector organisations and a community interest company, with Devon Partnership NHS Trust as the lead provider.

From April 2026, the solution from Novari Health will be used within child and adolescent mental health services, adult eating disorders, inpatient perinatal services, and secure mental illness services to manage referrals, mental health bed capacity and patient flow.

Dr Jason Fee, medical director at the NHS SWPC, said: “As a specialised mental healthcare commissioner delivering patient-centred care across an extensive geographical area, it’s vital that we can manage the patient journey from referral to assessment to admission.

“The ability to access real-time bed availability at a regional or unit level means we can optimise bed usage, report on activity and address system pressure points. We can also identify any urgent referrals and prioritise patient care according to need.”

The project, which is already underway, spans seven integrated care boards (ICBs), over 9,000 square miles and 5.8 million patients and involves integration with the SWPC’s electronic patient record (EPR) systems – Access Rio and TPP’s SystmOne – as well as NHS Spine.

Once live, the solution will enable complete referrals through configurable triage and workflow tracking, standard referrals from all sources, and real-time region-wide dashboards for visibility of capacity across the whole of the South West.

Novari’s technology also includes optional AI-enhanced analytics that provide real-time data on patient waiting times, helping organisations improve resource utilisation, identify workflow bottlenecks, and boost operational efficiency.

John Sinclair, president and chief executive at Novari Health, said: “This deployment is a milestone for Novari in the UK.

“By unifying referrals and mental health bed management across nine providers and four specialist service lines, the South West Collaborative is setting a new standard for regional coordination of care.

“Our technology is purpose-built to give clinicians and managers the real-time visibility they need to reduce waits, improve access, and ensure patients are treated in the right setting, closer to home.

“We are proud to be a partner in delivering such a forward-looking model of mental health care.”

The SWPC  is the first organisation to commission Novari Health, following its recent acquisition by VitalHub UK., which has solutions used by most acute trusts, more than 80% of mental health trusts and around 70% of ICBs across England.

Mike Sanders, chief executive at VitalHub UK, said: “Deploying Novari’s mental health solution across this region will not only bring immediate benefits in terms of visibility and efficiency, it also demonstrates how UK health systems can leverage proven, interoperable technologies to transform patient flow across organisational boundaries.

“This is a clear example of technology enabling system-wide improvement for patients and providers alike.”