A recent survey conducted by NHS Providers revealed that 73% of trust leaders see funding and financial constraints as the primary obstacle to digital transformation.
The survey, titled ‘Digital transformation survey 2024: challenges, opportunities and priorities for trust leaders’, gathered responses from 134 NHS trusts in May and June 2024. 185 trust leaders participated in the survey, highlighting progress in implementing advanced technologies such as electronic patient records and cybersecurity.
While some advancements have been made, trust leaders raised concerns about barriers hindering productivity and patient safety improvements through digital transformation. Operational pressures, lack of infrastructure, workforce capacity, and system interoperability were identified as key obstacles.
Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, emphasized the potential of digital transformation to enhance patient access to data and care, while urging for government collaboration to address barriers.
In conjunction with the survey, NHS Providers engaged with 20 trust leaders in insight calls, gathering qualitative data from 140 NHS trusts. The organization also relaunched its Digital Boards programme to support trust boards in leveraging digital opportunities for patient and staff benefit.
Lord Ara Darzi’s recent investigation into the NHS highlighted concerns among staff that IT systems added to their workload rather than simplifying administrative tasks. NHS Providers is actively engaged in addressing these challenges and is a partner for the upcoming Digital Health Rewired event in March 2025.
