A report from the NHS Confederation has identified workforce and training as significant barriers to delivering a quality frontline digitised service.
Researchers gathered insights from integrated care system (ICS) leaders through a variety of methods, including surveys, round table events, and interviews conducted between March 2024 and August 2024.
Published on 6 August 2024, the report titled ‘Frontline digitisation: creating the conditions for a digital NHS’ highlights the belief among healthcare leaders that digital ambitions cannot be achieved without proper support for the workforce.
The NHS England’s frontline digitisation program, initiated in 2021, aimed to shift from paper-based to digital systems for patient information, clinical notes, and data access.
While many ICSs have started experiencing benefits of digitisation like freeing up staff time and enhancing collaborative working, the report points out complex challenges they face.
The tension arises from aligning national goals with the current system’s limitations in harnessing digital innovation, with organizational readiness for electronic patient record (EPR) system convergence being inconsistent among providers.
Funding, identified as a major barrier, results in disparities across different healthcare providers, affecting patient outcomes. Bureaucracy and short-term funding pots also hinder the rapid implementation of frontline digital services.
Healthcare leaders are advocating for fewer core targets, increased autonomy for ICSs in delivering them, more flexible approaches tailored to local populations, additional capital funding for digital infrastructure, and longer-term funding cycles.
Despite the challenges, the frontline digitisation program is praised as a much-needed initiative, but financial constraints in the NHS pose difficulties in achieving innovation and transformation, according to senior policy adviser Rezina Hakim.
Responding to the report, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care emphasized the importance of technology and announced plans to enhance appointment availability and invest in advanced medical equipment through the ‘Fit For The Future Fund’.
Conducted from January to March 2024, the survey gathered insights from leaders across various healthcare sectors, highlighting the ongoing efforts to address workforce barriers and improve the digitisation of frontline services in the NHS.
