The mental health charity St Andrew’s Healthcare has embarked on a multimillion-pound digital transformation project, the charity has confirmed.

It said the digital transformation programme would be rolled out at the charity over the next five years.

The full cost of the programme was not disclosed, but it is understood to be worth several million pounds.

The programme will see the charity outsource its IT to the IT firm Advanced, and the company will take over all of the charity’s digital services.

The first phase of the programme will focus on mitigating external security risks, with Advanced overseeing the management of the charity’s existing infrastructure.

This will be followed by a change-management plan focused on digital transformation, providing mobile technology to help staff, patients and their families, and enabling suppliers to have secure access to the charity’s systems while protecting core systems.

Leslie Ross, director of business change and IT at St Andrew’s Healthcare, said: “The whole world has changed, especially over the past two years, which have seen cyber security become front-line news. Some industries, such as financial services, are geared up for this evolution, but the rest of the world is still hugely vulnerable.

“It’s time for us to step up to ensure we mitigate future risks, while becoming more mobile, agile and connected, as well as meeting St Andrew’s strategy and digitisation plans.”

Roy Wood, managing director of Advanced, said: “As a forward-thinking mental healthcare charity living in a digital world, St Andrew’s has recognised the importance of reimagining its organisation in order to meet staff, patient and regulatory expectations.

“Putting its faith in Advanced is testament to the success we’ve achieved in advising and transitioning other healthcare organisations.”