By Lorraine Foley, CEO at the PRSB

2023-24 has been an incredible year of growth for us at PRSB, filled with achievements that we’re really proud of. We’ve made huge strides in accelerating the adoption of standards, hitting record levels of software supplier conformance, and making standards easier to implement than ever before. Our partnerships have flourished—from working with the UK Health Data Research Alliance; to collaborating with the Health Foundation; to welcoming new members like Healthwatch, the Royal College of Paramedics and HIMSS. Each new member and software partner amplifies our impact and reinforces the growing recognition that PRSB standards are vital not just for direct care but also for advancing research, analytics, and technological innovation.

Driving the Adoption of Standards

One of our biggest accomplishments this year has been speeding up the adoption of standards through close collaboration with software suppliers. Our Partnership Scheme has grown to represent 73 suppliers, with 42% already conformant with one or more standards. These suppliers are playing a critical role in driving the adoption of standards across health and social care, helping ensure that critical patient information flows smoothly and improving care quality along the way. 

We’ve also been regularly commissioned by NHS England to support the testing, piloting, and implementation of standards. One standout example is the Diabetes Record Information Standard, where we worked with partners like MyWay Digital Health and the South London Health Innovation Network to pilot and refine it in real-world settings. It’s been exciting to see the potential for these standards to make such a tangible difference to people’s lives.

Building Powerful Partnerships

This year has also been about forming and nurturing partnerships that enhance the reach and impact of our work. We’ve worked with the Health Foundation to explore the risks and opportunities that surround the rapid and organic development and uptake of health portals and apps. Our growing relationships with organisations like Health Data Research UK and our work with NHS England on exploring a common model for data and analytics are opening doors to new opportunities and reinforcing that high-quality standardised data is the golden thread that connects prevention to care provision to research and development to digital tools and back again, in a limitless cycle.  

Making Standards Easier to Implement

We’ve heard the feedback — implementing standards can sometimes feel overwhelming. That’s why we’ve focused on simplifying things, making it easier for health and social care organisations to put our standards into practice. We’ve developed new toolkits for Diabetes, eDischarge Summary Standard, and Wound Care, designed to guide organisations through the process step-by-step. Plus, we’ve identified essential subsets required for a safe and meaningful  implementation for each standard to focus on achievable, impactful goals rather than unattainable gold standards. It’s all about making it as practical and user-friendly as possible.

New Directions in Leadership

This year, we’ve also seen some leadership changes. We’re deeply grateful to Helene Feger, our Director of Communications, who retired after an incredible contribution to PRSB in March. And while we are incredibly sad that our wonderful Chair, Professor Maureen Baker, will step down at the end of October, we’re also excited to welcome Professor Reecha Sofat as our new Chair. Her expertise in data science, research, and genomics will help us grow and explore new focus areas like Women’s Health, mental health, genomics, and much more.

Our Future Focus

We’re proud of the strides we’ve made toward safer, data-driven care, but we’re not stopping here. We want to go further and we want to go faster. 

Our achievements are built on the commitment and contributions of our incredible members and partners. Together, we’ve laid a strong foundation, but there’s more work to be done. After consulting widely with our membership, we’ve sharpened our focus on raising awareness and accelerating the adoption of standards that drive health and social care integration, put people at the heart of their care, and foster deeper collaboration across the UK. We’re confident that by aligning around these shared missions and taking collective action, we can deliver even greater impact and faster progress. 

That’s why we’ve launched our ‘Coalition for Change’—a call to action for our members and partners. It’s a simple ask: take small, manageable steps in areas where you can make a real difference. These individual actions will combine to create a seismic shift in the adoption of standards, amplifying the impact we can have together. 

To everyone who has been part of this journey so far, thank you. Let’s keep pushing forward—together—towards better, safer health and care that starts with standards. 

Find out more about our achievements in 2023/24

We’ve just published our 2023/24 annual report, highlighting our achievements in the previous financial year and sharing our vision and plans for the near future.