Across NHS organisations, Microsoft Power Platform is increasingly used to support service improvement, automate operational tasks and replace manual processes.
Microsoft Power Platform value lies in proximity to the service. Teams closest to operational pressures can create solutions quickly, often delivering measurable benefit within days rather than months. As adoption grows, however, the challenge shifts from development to assurance.
When Power Platform Becomes Organisational, Not Local:
Most Power Platform solutions begin within a single service area. The solutions work well because the people who built them understand how they operate.
Over time this changes:
- Other services adopt similar processes
- Data flows extend beyond the originating team
- Staff move roles or organisations
- Solutions become relied upon operationally
At this point, the organisation is no longer managing individual apps but also operational dependencies. For NHS digital and information governance leaders, the key question becomes:
“How do we maintain visibility, ownership and supportability across the organisation?”
Why Governance Matters in NHS Environments:
Power Platform in its application does not create risk. The risk itself appears when adoption grows faster than organisational visibility. As solutions become relied upon operationally - often across multiple services - organisations need confidence in how they operate, who supports them, and how changes can be made safely. Within NHS environments this directly influences:
- Cyber security assurance
- DSPT and CAF alignment
- Data protection responsibilities
- Service continuity
- Auditability of operational processes
Governance therefore provides shared understanding across the organisation, rather than knowledge sitting within individual teams. Typical Power Platform governance activities include:
- Knowing what solutions exist across the tenant
- Clear ownership of apps, flows and data
- Environment and data loss prevention policies
- Consistent deployment standards
- Accessible documentation and supportability
The purpose is not to restrict innovation, but to ensure solutions remain trusted as their use expands.
The Role of a Power Platform Centre of Excellence:
Many NHS organisations address governance needs through a Microsoft Power Platform Centre of Excellence (CoE). A CoE enables teams to continue building solutions while ensuring they remain aligned to organisational responsibilities. It provides structure without removing flexibility. In practice this includes:
- Maker guidance and enablement
- Governance processes and review points
- Shared components and standards
- Usage visibility and reporting
- Ongoing oversight
The outcome is an environment where local innovation can scale safely across services.
Supporting NHS organisations:
At M8 Solutions we support NHS organisations in establishing governed Microsoft Power Platform environments aligned with cyber security and assurance requirements. This includes:
- Governance framework design
- Centre of Excellence implementation
- Environment configuration
- Ongoing oversight support
Our focus is to ensure solutions remain understood, supportable and auditable as services evolve.
A Growing Operational Capability:
Microsoft Power Platform is becoming part of how NHS organisations operate, not just how they develop. The organisations seeing the most benefit are those that treat governance as an ongoing capability rather than a one-time implementation.
If you would like to compare approaches or discuss how governance is being implemented elsewhere across the NHS, we are always happy to have a conversation.
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