DHSC proposes £7.4 billion investment in NHS tech

Expected to lead to £35b+ productivity boost

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England (NHSE) plan to spend £7.4 billion on UK health tech this decade, according to an internal document.

According to Future Health Intelligence, which claims to have seen the NHS tech, digital & data delivery plan, the investment will deliver almost half (49%) of the NHS’ 10-year health plan productivity targets between now and 2030 – with more than £35 billion savings projected.

The document also shows that NHSE’s focus has changed from electronic patient records (EPR) acquisition to workflow automation, productivity tools and EPR optimisation.

Future Health Intelligence says the spending will be spread over seven new programmes: frontline productivity (£2.5 billion); transforming patient-facing services (£2.5 billion); transforming and connecting care (£1.1 billion); core infrastructure (£617 million), including legacy modernisation, cloud, and estate rationalisation; cyber improvement (£279 million); the One Digital programme (£148 million); and the nebulous “establishing operational excellence” (£138 million).

FHI CEO Jon Hoeskma told Digital Health News the plan “envisages delivering two dramatic pivots simultaneously.

“The first is to ensure 50% of the £2.5bn frontline productivity [spend goes] into community settings, compared to the 95% of national investment that has until now gone into acute [care].

“The second is to stop buying technology assets and instead spend 50% of investment in change and better outcomes.”

These “ambitious” changes will require “completely new approach approaches to digital”

The plan envisages the investment paying off to the tune of an £8.2 billion boost to productivity over four years, and £36.6 billion over 10 years. That would come from savings in clinical and administration staff time, as well as lower operating costs – largely stemming from AI voice technologies (transcription), EPR optimisation and workflow automation.

The proposals have not yet been signed off by the Treasury.