Procurement, Supply Chain and Finance Transition to Cloud Infrastructure Migration
NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership
Introduction:
NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership (NWSSP) successfully delivered a major infrastructure upgrade by migrating the national Financial Management System (FMS) which underpins procurement, supply chain, and finance operations to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI). The project addressed critical risks from ageing on-premises infrastructure, aligned with the Welsh Government’s Cloud First strategy, and supported 16,000+ users across NHS Wales.
Methods:
A phased, low-risk migration was adopted, allowing full testing and continuity across three environments (DEV, TEST, PROD). NWSSP Central Team eBusiness Services led the programme in collaboration with Digital Health and Care Wales, Version 1, Oracle, and stakeholders from all NHS Wales organisations. Structured test packs supported System Integration Testing (SIT), User Acceptance Testing (UAT), and Disaster Recovery (DR) rehearsals. Real-time issue tracking and governance ensured smooth coordination. Key components, including Oracle E-Business Suite Application Express, Enterprise Command Centers, and reporting systems, were rebuilt in OCI, and legacy infrastructure was decommissioned.
Outcomes:
- Zero disruption to critical services during cutover
- Improved performance, scalability, and disaster recovery
- Full test coverage with 100% execution of critical cases
- Stronger cybersecurity and resilience
- Enhanced alignment with NHS Wales digital, financial, and patient care priorities
Learnings:
Effective early planning, stakeholder engagement, and structured governance were key to success. Testing within the production environment reduced risk. Some challenges were experienced with firewall changes and manual processes during cloning. Testing feedback highlighted the need for better ticket logging and runbook consistency.
What next?
Automation of manual processes is underway, including improved runbooks and pre-UAT validation. Lessons on leadership, communication, and team wellbeing will shape future transformation projects. The project has laid a scalable, secure foundation for NHS Wales’s digital future.
