Why ‘Best of Breed’ Still Fails Without Integration That Works

For many Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), the goal is not to standardise every organisation onto a single system. In reality, most health and care economies have evolved around a diverse mix of technologies selected to meet specific local needs.

That is not necessarily a problem.

A best of breed approach can deliver significant advantages. Acute trusts can select the EPR that best supports their clinicians. Community providers can use systems suited to their services. Mental health organisations, primary care, social care and specialist providers can all adopt technologies that work for their own operational requirements.

The challenge is not the systems themselves.

The challenge is making them work together.

Across an ICB ecosystem, a best of breed environment can quickly become a collection of disconnected technologies if interoperability is not given the same level of attention as system selection. Each organisation may have the right platform, but if information cannot move effectively between them, the patient journey remains fragmented.

This is where the limitations begin to appear.

Clinicians may need to access multiple systems to build a complete picture of a patient. Referrals may rely on manual workarounds. Information may be visible in one part of the pathway but unavailable in another. Data may be duplicated, delayed or inconsistent across organisations.

The more organisations involved, the greater the challenge becomes.

A modern ICB ecosystem can include acute trusts, community services, mental health providers, ambulance services, local authorities, GP practices, hospices, voluntary sector organisations and independent providers. Each contributes to patient care, and each depends on information being available when and where it is needed.

Without effective interoperability, best of breed risks becoming best in isolation.

The most successful ICBs recognise that integration is not a technical afterthought. It is a strategic capability that enables organisations to maintain local flexibility while supporting system-wide collaboration.

That means investing in:

• Real-time information sharing across organisational boundaries

• Consistent use of interoperability standards

• Pathway-focused integration rather than isolated interfaces

• Scalable architectures that support future change

• Reliable data flows that support operational and clinical workflows

When these foundations are in place, organisations can continue using the systems that best meet their needs while still delivering joined-up care across the wider health and care system.

The objective should never be to create technology uniformity for its own sake. The objective should be to enable information, insight and action to flow across organisational boundaries in support of better patient care.

At Osprey, we help NHS organisations make best of breed environments work as a connected ecosystem rather than a collection of individual systems. By focusing on practical interoperability, real-time data sharing and integration aligned to clinical pathways, we enable organisations to preserve local flexibility while supporting system-wide coordination.

The value of best of breed technology is not determined by how well each system performs in isolation, but by how effectively they work together to support patients, clinicians and services.

Related Solution: Evolved Integration Services

Even the best systems struggle without effective interoperability. Explore how Osprey helps organisations connect technology, data and workflows successfully.