The NHS is embarking on one of the most ambitious digital transformations in its history. The Department of Health and Social Care’s 10-Year Plan places technology at the heart of a patient-focused service.
Yet, years into this push, many patients still struggle with a confusing array of platforms, with no single-entry point and inconsistent access to their own records. “There’s no single front door for them,” explains Jacqui Cooper, Chief Nursing Information Officer at Health Innovation Manchester. “Patients and citizens believe that we're converged, and they're very surprised when we start talking about bringing systems together and merging platforms.”
This presents a unique opportunity: to streamline platforms and integrate data in order to create a seamless digital experience that puts patients at the heart of care.
Funding pressures and short-term thinking
Part of the problem lies in how digital initiatives are funded. Short-term budgets often prioritise rapid deployment over long-term functionality. “One of the biggest problems we've got is that technology follows the money,” said Debbie Loke, Executive CDIO at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust. Funding projects only to the point of minimum viability, she argued, stifles innovation and leads to repeating the same cycles in the future.
The consequences of this are already becoming clear. Diarmaid Crean, former Chief Digital and Technology Officer at Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust, warned that some trusts have attempted to implement electronic patient records in as little as six weeks, creating poor data quality and a “nightmare” for system-level integration.
Convergence as a foundation for reform
Data convergence, the integration of patient information across primary, secondary and community care, is widely recognised as essential for meaningful reform. Standardised care pathways improve decision-making and reduce duplication, but they are difficult to implement in a health service that is far from uniform.
“There's nothing national about the NHS,” said Cooper. “We all do things in a different way, even from our neighbouring organisations, or from our colleagues in a different ward or speciality.”
Tools such as the NHS number and interoperable systems offer a potential solution, and successful multi-trust EPR implementations have shown that convergence can create a “virtuous circle effect,” improving both deployment and clinical outcomes.
Keeping patients at the centre
Technology alone cannot deliver a truly patient-focused NHS. Digital platforms must be intuitive, provide clear information and support clinically safe workflows.
“It's about bringing that independent knowledge of service design,” explained Crean. “Really thinking about your clinicians and end-users, trying to make it as efficient and easy for them to do their jobs as you possibly can, and making that as clinically safe as it should be. That's the perfect combination.”
In other words, successful systems are those that empower staff while simultaneously making life easier and safer for patients. This design philosophy will turn complex digital tools into seamless, practical solutions.
The value of external expertise
External partners will be crucial in realising these ambitions. They bring expertise in system integration, service design and supplier management, allowing NHS organisations to scale effectively while avoiding common pitfalls.
“It's a case of finding those experts and then disseminating their expertise across the UK,” said Sarah Hanbridge, Chief Clinical Information Officer at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. In practice, this means using external knowledge not just to implement technology, but to embed it in ways that support clinicians, streamline workflows and improve patient care.
“Digital is the best it's ever been,” added Cooper. “We need to shift the mindset of a nervous workforce and work more collaboratively with commercial partners. The NHS is not sustainable without those relationships.”
“Stay the course” to achieve meaningful outcomes
The NHS’s digital transformation is at a crossroads. Achieving accessible, integrated platforms will require more than just technology: it demands sustained funding, patience and strategic partnerships, both inside and outside the service. Terri LeFort, President of Nordic International, captured the consensus when she advised organisations to “stay the course” to achieve meaningful outcomes.
The opportunity is significant. By aligning resources, standardising care pathways and embedding patient-centred design, the NHS can create platforms that are not only accessible and integrated, but transformative for care delivery. With commitment and collaboration, today’s challenges can become tomorrow’s breakthroughs.