A game-changing digital service, PACO (Patient and Care Optimiser), is transforming how healthcare is accessed and managed at a neighbourhood level by integrating and connecting services. PACO is an integrated digital platform delivered by Blinx Healthcare across multiple Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) in England, including Birmingham and Solihull and Cheshire and Merseyside. It brings general practice, urgent care, and community services together into a single connected ecosystem. PACO was developed in collaboration with key NHS partners such as Hall Green Health, Primary Care 24 (a social enterprise which delivers urgent and primary care NHS services) and several GP federations. The challenge The NHS’s current digital infrastructure is fragmented and inefficient. Traditional systems lack real-time data sharing and interoperability across care settings, forcing patients to repeat their stories and causing duplication of services. This fragmentation results in delayed care, rising pressures on A&E, and a general mismatch between demand and capacity. PACO overcomes this by providing seamless integration between EMIS and TPP systems, enabling clinicians to access a shared patient record and manage appointments, referrals, and consultations through a unified interface. How PACO was designed and developed PACO was designed by clinicians, for clinicians. It incorporates automation, predictive analytics, and intelligent triage tools. Through co-production with frontline healthcare providers and commissioners, Blinx ensured the platform aligned with real-world workflows rather than forcing practices to adapt to generic systems. Funded through NHS ICB contracts and adopted across multiple regions, PACO is being rolled out on a system-wide basis to support digital-first chronic disease management, urgent care coordination, and population health initiatives. PACO deployments are confirmed in areas covering over two million patients, with plans for broader expansion. Innovation The key innovation lies in PACO’s ability to mobilise the patient record across organisational boundaries, automate admin-heavy tasks, and deliver 24/7 connected neighbourhood care. Whether it’s enabling patients to self-book across sectors or automatically prioritising high-risk patients based on clinical data, PACO shifts care from reactive to proactive, and from hospital-based to community-focused models. Impact Impact metrics from 2024 include over 75,000 appointments booked, 80,000 digital consultations completed, and more than 11,500 clinical hours saved. These figures reflect improvements in access, efficiency, and clinical productivity, demonstrating a clear return on investment and better patient outcomes. Alignment The approach aligns directly with government priorities around sustainable economic growth, digital transformation in public services, and integrated community care. By reducing the need for hospital admissions and enabling earlier interventions, PACO supports both cost containment and healthier communities. Scale To scale this innovation, policy changes should prioritise mandating interoperability standards across NHS systems, allocating ringfenced funding for digital transformation, and incentivising outcome-based procurement models that reward prevention and integration. “PACO has transformed how we deliver urgent care, giving us 24/7 operational capacity and streamlining patient flow through automated, intelligent design.” Dave Horsfield, CEO of Primary Care 24. Message to policymakers: PACO proves that when public services are designed around real needs and delivered through smart, clinician-led innovation, we can overcome systemic NHS challenges, not someday, but today. Finally, PACO is not just a product, it’s a movement towards connected, compassionate, and intelligent care that honours the promise of the NHS by working better for everyone it serves. What next? • More case studies of social enterprise innovation
A game-changing digital service, PACO (Patient and Care Optimiser), is transforming how healthcare is accessed and managed at a neighbourhood level by integrating and connecting services. PACO is an integrated digital platform delivered by Blinx Healthcare across multiple Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) in England, including Birmingham and Solihull and Cheshire and Merseyside. It brings general practice, urgent care, and community services together into a single connected ecosystem. PACO was developed in collaboration with key NHS partners such as Hall Green Health, Primary Care 24 (a social enterprise which delivers urgent and primary care NHS services) and several GP federations. The challenge The NHS’s current digital infrastructure is fragmented and inefficient. Traditional systems lack real-time data sharing and interoperability across care settings, forcing patients to repeat their stories and causing duplication of services. This fragmentation results in delayed care, rising pressures on A&E, and a general mismatch between demand and capacity. PACO overcomes this by providing seamless integration between EMIS and TPP systems, enabling clinicians to access a shared patient record and manage appointments, referrals, and consultations through a unified interface. How PACO was designed and developed PACO was designed by clinicians, for clinicians. It incorporates automation, predictive analytics, and intelligent triage tools. Through co-production with frontline healthcare providers and commissioners, Blinx ensured the platform aligned with real-world workflows rather than forcing practices to adapt to generic systems. Funded through NHS ICB contracts and adopted across multiple regions, PACO is being rolled out on a system-wide basis to support digital-first chronic disease management, urgent care coordination, and population health initiatives. PACO deployments are confirmed in areas covering over two million patients, with plans for broader expansion. Innovation The key innovation lies in PACO’s ability to mobilise the patient record across organisational boundaries, automate admin-heavy tasks, and deliver 24/7 connected neighbourhood care. Whether it’s enabling patients to self-book across sectors or automatically prioritising high-risk patients based on clinical data, PACO shifts care from reactive to proactive, and from hospital-based to community-focused models. Impact Impact metrics from 2024 include over 75,000 appointments booked, 80,000 digital consultations completed, and more than 11,500 clinical hours saved. These figures reflect improvements in access, efficiency, and clinical productivity, demonstrating a clear return on investment and better patient outcomes. Alignment The approach aligns directly with government priorities around sustainable economic growth, digital transformation in public services, and integrated community care. By reducing the need for hospital admissions and enabling earlier interventions, PACO supports both cost containment and healthier communities. Scale To scale this innovation, policy changes should prioritise mandating interoperability standards across NHS systems, allocating ringfenced funding for digital transformation, and incentivising outcome-based procurement models that reward prevention and integration. “PACO has transformed how we deliver urgent care, giving us 24/7 operational capacity and streamlining patient flow through automated, intelligent design.” Dave Horsfield, CEO of Primary Care 24. Message to policymakers: PACO proves that when public services are designed around real needs and delivered through smart, clinician-led innovation, we can overcome systemic NHS challenges, not someday, but today. Finally, PACO is not just a product, it’s a movement towards connected, compassionate, and intelligent care that honours the promise of the NHS by working better for everyone it serves. What next? • More case studies of social enterprise innovation