When COVID-19 hit, Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust needed to keep more than 7,000 staff working safely across a region of 4,800 square miles, serving around 1.7 million people.

They had already started using Microsoft Teams to cut down on the four million miles staff travelled each year for meetings. Once the pandemic began, they quickly reimagined Teams as a core platform for service delivery, not just internal collaboration.

Key changes included:

• Rapid shift to virtual meetings: The Trust began running about 1,100 Microsoft Teams meetings per day, enabling clinicians, managers and support staff to coordinate care without being on-site.
• Continuity of patient services: Clinical teams, including Autism Services, moved scheduled events and appointments online so that care could continue despite lockdowns and isolation requirements.
• Faster decision-making: Leaders used Teams to quickly bring large groups together, assess fast-changing situations and make decisions in the best interests of patients and families.
• Two-way communication with staff: The Trust hosted Teams live events as Q&A sessions, giving staff a direct channel to ask executives questions and get timely updates.

According to the Trust’s leadership, this experience has reshaped expectations: meetings are not expected to return to how they were before, because virtual collaboration has become a standard way of working.

The Trust combined Microsoft Teams with Surface devices to support both frontline and remote workers in a practical way.

Surface Hub 2S was installed in several locations and wards as an all-in-one digital whiteboard and collaboration device. This helped to:

• Keep ward-based teams connected with central and specialist services.
• Enable group discussions, care planning and briefings without everyone needing to be in the same room.
• Maintain a sense of connection between frontline staff and the wider organisation during a period of disruption.

Surface Go 2 was used by remote workers as a lightweight laptop with tablet functionality. For these staff, the combination of portability and the Surface Pen was especially useful for:

• Capturing notes and clinical information while working away from the office.
• Joining Teams meetings from home or community locations.
• Switching easily between typing and handwriting, depending on the task.

Together, Surface Hub 2S, Surface Go 2 and Microsoft Teams helped the Trust rethink how and where work gets done, allowing staff to continue providing care even when isolating or shielding.

The move to Microsoft 365, Teams and Surface devices did more than enable remote work; it reshaped how leaders and staff interacted across the Trust.

Key shifts in communication and culture included:

• More open dialogue: Leaders began running Microsoft Teams live events as interactive Q&A sessions. Staff could ask executives anything, creating a more transparent and responsive communication style.
• Regular, scalable updates: With over 7,000 employees, the Trust needed a way to reach everyone quickly. Teams allowed leadership to share consistent messages and guidance across all services and locations.
• Stronger connection during disruption: As services and working patterns changed rapidly, digital channels helped maintain a sense of shared purpose and alignment around patient care.
• New expectations for meetings: After seeing how well virtual calls and events worked, the organisation recognised that meetings would not go back to their old format. Digital-first collaboration is now part of how the Trust operates.

Overall, the combination of Microsoft 365, Teams and Surface devices helped the Trust reimagine leadership communication, making it easier to engage staff, share decisions and keep everyone focused on delivering safe, high-quality care.