Empowering Digital Health: Tavistock & Portman NHS Trust Drupal Upgrade

About the Client

Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust is a renowned mental health trust located in London, that is dedicated to providing high-quality mental health services and education. 

With a rich history dating back to 1920, the trust has established itself as a leading provider of mental health care, education, and training for professionals in the field. Serving both adults and children, Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust offers a wide range of specialist services, including psychotherapy, psychiatry, psychology, and family therapy.

Committed to innovation and excellence, Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust continuously strive to improve its services and enhance accessibility for those needing mental health support. Through its collaborative approach and interdisciplinary expertise, the trust remains at the forefront of mental health care delivery, shaping the future of mental health services in the UK and beyond.

Business Challenge

As a leading provider of mental health services and education, Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust rely heavily on its digital presence to connect with patients, caregivers, and professionals in the mental health community. Central to their online strategy is their Drupal-based website, which serves as a vital platform for sharing resources, providing information about services, and facilitating communication.

The trust faced a critical challenge with the upcoming end-of-life status of its Drupal version. This status meant that the CMS would no longer receive official support or security updates from the Drupal community, leaving websites vulnerable to potential security breaches and compatibility issues.

For Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust, this posed significant risks to the integrity and security of their website. Without the necessary updates and support, their Drupal website could become susceptible to cyber threats, compromising sensitive patient information and undermining the trust and credibility of the organisation.

In addition, failure to address the transition in a timely manner could result in diminished user experience, decreased website functionality, and ultimately, hindered access to critical mental health resources and support services.

In light of these challenges, Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust recognised the urgency of migrating to an updated version of Drupal to ensure their digital platform's ongoing security, stability, and effectiveness.

Comprehensive Drupal Audit

Before approaching the website upgrade, we advised Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust on the importance of a thorough audit of their existing Drupal website before commencing with the development. Our team, led by a senior developer with in-depth knowledge of the website’s architecture and functionality, conducted an audit which included a meticulous review utilising both automated tools and manual inspection. 

A focus of the audit was to assess the current Drupal version and its compatibility with the up-to-date Drupal version. We identified modules and bespoke functionalities that needed updating to align with the updated Drupal requirements.

Beyond this, the audit delved into the codebase, scrutinising custom code to ensure compliance with new Drupal coding standards. This involved identifying deprecated functions, updating deprecated APIs, and addressing any potential compatibility issues that could arise during the migration process.

A key outcome of the audit was the compilation of a detailed list outlining the modules and custom features requiring updates for migration. This list served as a roadmap for the subsequent phases of the upgrade project, providing clear guidance on the scope and complexity. You can find more information about our Drupal Audits here.

Drupal Upgrade

Using insights from the Drupal audit, we started work on upgrading Tavistock & Portman NHS Trust’s website. The aim of this project was to ensure a smooth transition and optimisation of the trust’s Drupal platform. 

The build process commenced with pruning unused modules, streamlining the website’s architecture, and reducing unnecessary clutter to enhance performance and simplify maintenance. 

While migrating the trust’s custom theme to their updated platform, we addressed design inconsistencies and optimised the theme for responsiveness and accessibility.

Throughout the build process, rigorous testing of deployment scripts was conducted to ensure reliability and consistency in deploying changes across staging and production environments. Detailed plans were created for testing the site post-build, encompassing performance testing, functional testing, and user acceptance testing to validate the website’s functionality and user experience. 

Continued Drupal Web Support

Following the successful upgrade of their Drupal website, Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust continued their dedication to long-term stability and effectiveness through ongoing support and maintenance. 

Our hosting and support teams provided critical support and reliable hosting infrastructure to safeguard against potential disruptions and maintain optimal performance. 

The trust was able to leverage state-of-the-art hosting solutions, including secure servers, scalable resources, and proactive monitoring, ensuring the reliability and security of their website, which is essential for delivering uninterrupted access to mental health resources and support services.

In addition to hosting, Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust invested in our critical support services to promptly address any unforeseen issues or emergencies. A dedicated support team comprising experienced developers and technical experts are on standby to provide rapid assistance and resolution to any issues that may arise, ensuring minimal downtime and disruption to the website's operations.

Robust backup and disaster recovery measures have been implemented to safeguard against data loss and ensure business continuity in unforeseen circumstances. Regular backups of the website's data and configuration settings are performed, with offsite storage and redundancy measures to mitigate risks and enhance resilience.

Continuous monitoring and performance optimisation are integral components of the support strategy, with regular audits and maintenance tasks conducted to identify and address potential vulnerabilities or performance bottlenecks. 

Proactive measures, such as security patches, software updates, and performance tuning, are implemented to enhance the website's resilience and responsiveness.

Quality Assurance (QA)

All of our projects undergo rigorous testing through the software development process. In order to deliver the utmost quality for clients and their respective uses, our in-house QA team ensures that all end products perform accurately and reliably under normal and abnormal conditions. Testing is followed by continual monitoring of software performance to prevent the recurrence of any issues and to ensure efficient ongoing operation.

As such, we were able to confidently deliver a well-designed, scalable and technically stable result.

Results

Enhanced Drupal Platform and Future Capabilities

Following the Drupal upgrade project, Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust have successfully transformed their digital platform. Their website boasts a modernised infrastructure upgraded to a supported version of Drupal, aligning with the latest industry standards and best practices. By addressing security vulnerabilities and compatibility issues associated with end-of-life, the trust has enhanced the integrity and security of its CMS, safeguarding sensitive patient information and maintaining trust and credibility. 

The build process, including removing unused modules, updating custom code, and optimising the theme, has improved website performance and user experience. With a streamlined architecture and responsive design, the trust’s website offers enhanced usability, facilitating smooth navigation and engagement for visitors seeking mental health resources and support services. 

Moving forward, Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust are poised to leverage their enhanced digital platform to further advance their mission of providing high-quality mental health services and education. With a secure and stable foundation, the trust is now empowered to explore new opportunities for innovation and expansion, including digital outreach efforts, enhancing patient care and support services, and adapting to evolving technological trends and developments. 

The successful Drupal upgrade project has equipped Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust with a robust and resilient digital platform, enabling them to fulfil their commitment to providing exceptional mental health services and support to their community, both now and in the future.