The national digital landscape
There is increasing recognition of the key role digital ways of working and new technologies will play in maximising the opportunities and addressing the challenges faced by the health and care sector. Lord Darzi's Independent investigation of the NHS in England clearly set out the compelling case for change, positioning digital transformation as a key enabler for supporting a fundamental shift from 'diagnose and treat' to 'predict and prevent'.
The Darzi report describes the NHS as in the 'foothills' of digital transformation, and NHS England's (NHSE) most recent Digital Maturity Assessment scores demonstrate the large variation in the baseline digital capabilities between NHS trusts and across integrated care systems (ICSs).
Historic and systemic underinvestment in digital across the health and care sector, particularly in community, mental health and social care settings, has impacted the capability of providers to scale innovation, fully harness the opportunities of data to drive decision making and work with system partners to accelerate progress.
This underinvestment also means that for NHS trusts, it is an all-too-common reality that gaps in foundational digital infrastructure and ineffective implementation of new technology limit the ability to fully leverage the potential of new technologies, adding to clinicians' workload instead of releasing time to care. This also means that the transformative benefits of digital ways of working are not being realised despite the promise of digital as an enabler for improved efficiency and productivity across care settings.
Enhancing digital maturity will improve patients' access to their own data, facilitate better access to care, ensure staff have timely access to the information they need, and support informed decision-making underpinned by high-quality, integrated data. Trust boards are actively collaborating with their integrated care boards (ICBs) and NHSE's regional and national teams to narrow these gaps in digital capability.
Through working with boards as part of our Digital Boards programme, we know that while there is work to be done, there are great examples of innovation across the country where trusts are using digital tools to radically redesign care and using digital transformation as an enabler for collaboration. From virtual wards, joint electronic patient record systems, the use of artificial intelligence and tools to support staff's mobile and remote working, trust leaders are committed to driving the digital agenda forward.
About this report
This report details the results of a recent survey and series of insight calls conducted as a part of NHS Providers' ongoing work to support NHS trust boards and senior leaders on the digital transformation agenda. The results will inform our ongoing activity on behalf of members, including our Digital Boards programme which supports trust leaders to confidently lead the digital transformation agenda through whole board development sessions, a range of peer learning events and board resources on digital transformation. The survey was conducted in May and June 2024, and sought feedback from all trust board members and digital leaders, capturing a wide range of views. The survey received 185 responses from 134 unique trusts, representing 64% of NHS trusts in England across all regions and trust types, including acute, community, mental health and ambulance trusts. Our insight calls, in June and July 2024 were conducted with 20 trust leaders.