How The Server Labs helped the NHS to rapidly deploy a cloud-based home testing service for frontline staff
When the NHS needed to get a coronavirus home testing system up and running, they had a big challenge on their hands – a complex system, with multiple interfaces, 100% availability, massive scaling and constant change. And no time to waste. With the help of specialist partners, including The Server Labs, they achieved what had previously looked like an impossible goal.
As the coronavirus hit England in March 2020, one of the NHS’ first priorities was testing - particularly for frontline healthcare workers. As these staff were high risk, the NHS decided on home-based testing.
That meant the NHS rapidly needed a dedicated website for staff to order testing kits, along with back-end logistics for delivery and processing – and a system that could scale efficiently to meet the ever-increasing demand.
The NHS had a proof of concept, built by Amazon’s Professional Services using their cloud services and serverless framework, which they needed to transition into a live service.
The project was unprecedented – it was highly complex, had to scale to meet massive demand and, such was the speed with which the virus was spreading, it needed to be live within weeks.
The NHS Digital team knew they needed providers with expertise, innovative thinking, strong collaboration skills and the flexibility and dedication to go above and beyond the expectations of any normal project.
Among others, they selected The Server Labs - an approved Government cloud supplier (CCS G-Cloud 11) and trusted AWS partner, with outstanding technical credentials and previous experience of healthcare projects.
The Server Labs took the system into production in an AWS serverless environment, managed the coding of additional functionality, set up all the required security, monitored the system and adapted it as the situation changed.
The NHS Digital team knew they needed providers with expertise, innovative thinking, strong collaboration skills and the flexibility and dedication to go above and beyond the expectations of any normal project.
Among others, they selected The Server Labs - an approved Government cloud supplier (CCS G-Cloud 11) and trusted AWS partner, with outstanding technical credentials and previous experience of healthcare projects.
The Server Labs took the system into production in an AWS serverless environment, managed the coding of additional functionality, set up all the required security, monitored the system and adapted it as the situation changed.
The system had many interfaces and The Server Labs collaborated on the project with Deloittes’ planning consultants, Kainos, Amazon warehouses, Trans Union, Amazon Web Services, Royal Mail, and a number of regional testing laboratories.
As the pandemic landscape changed the system also needed to evolve. For example, when the Government changed the scope of the home testing program to include the public, the change to multi-tenancy meant a lot of work on the application back-end. And like every other change, it was all needed in a very short timeframe.
The NHS faced multiple challenges in developing and deploying the application:
The Server Labs succeeded in delivering a system that met every challenge that was thrown at it, never failing to scale to meet demand, and truly supporting the NHS in its massive task. It was the most challenging project we’ve taken on – with complex technical and business demands, and working in the fishbowl of the highest profile crisis the NHS has ever managed. We’re very proud that the innovative, scalable and flexible system that we implemented played such an important part in this success story.
Chief Technnology Officer at The Server Labs
You can download the case study in PDF format from here
You can download the case study in PDF format from here
