
Introduction
The NHS is facing significant productivity and efficiency challenges. A number of different analyses (The King's Fund, 2024) (NHS England 2024) point to the same culprits: declining productivity can be, among other things, attributed to staff burnout and low morale, often linked to system inefficiencies. This is set against a background of rising workforce costs, the elevated costs of temporary staffing and ongoing issues with patient flow.
In debates about productivity in the NHS, 'digital' is unanimously seen as part of the answer. By redesigning services using both traditional and new technologies, healthcare professionals can reclaim valuable time, reduce administrative burdens, and focus more on direct patient care. This digital leap forward will not only make processes more efficient and accurate but also empower staff with better tools, ultimately leading to a more responsive, resilient, and productive NHS for everyone.
But as much as digital is part of the answer, it is also a potential part of the cause. Digital is not a silver bullet and does not instantly mean increased productivity. It can be a significant investment particularly with inflated costs of electronic patient record (EPR) systems. As any digital leader will tell you, technology alone does not realise the potential benefits. It is as much about the cultural and operating model change that accompanies the tech that drives productivity gains rather than the technology itself.
What then, is the secret sauce to driving productivity gains through digital approaches and technologies? Fundamentally productivity will not just be driven by technology alone - the key is in reimagining processes and care models, not just digitising them, and empowering skilled staff with the right training and a supportive, outcome-driven culture.