A new report by the Health Foundation has revealed that digitising NHS and adult social care services across the UK will require an estimated £21 billion over the next five years.
Of this total, £14.75 billion is earmarked for England. The independent charity commissioned PA Consulting to assess the investment needed to achieve the existing ambitions for digitisation, including infrastructure such as electronic patient records, cloud storage, cyber security, and Wi-Fi, along with the necessary skills and capabilities.
The research, published ahead of the forthcoming Spending Review and the 10 Year Health Plan, provides the first evidence-based estimate of the cost of digitising the NHS and adult social care. It highlights the importance of both capital and revenue spending to support implementation, software subscriptions, maintenance, optimisation, and ongoing costs. Crucially, it also emphasises the need for investment in training and development for staff.
The Health Foundation has outlined three key actions for the government and policymakers to ensure the successful digitisation of health and social care services:
- Set a clear, transformative, and durable vision for digitisation in health and social care.
- Support the vision with the required funding.
- Develop a plan to realise the benefits of digitisation, including higher quality care, better patient experience, improved staff experience, and enhanced productivity.
The research also identifies significant gaps in publicly available information on the costs and benefits of digitisation. By addressing these gaps, the Health Foundation aims to provide a clearer understanding of the resources needed to shift the NHS from 'analogue to digital'.
Dr Malte Gerhold, the Health Foundation’s Director of Innovation and Improvement, said:
“Ministers have repeatedly stressed the need for health and care services to move from analogue to digital. Our independently commissioned research finds that to achieve the government’s ambitions to digitise health and social care, significant spending will be needed over the next 5 years and beyond.
“But direct investment in technology alone is not sufficient. The government must fund the change not just the tech. This means investing in and planning for implementation and change to genuinely realise the benefits of digitisation for patients and staff.”
This comprehensive analysis underscores the critical need for substantial investment to modernise the NHS and adult social care services, ensuring they can meet the demands of the future.
In response to the report Dr Layla McCay, Director of Policy at the NHS Confederation, commented:
“We welcome this new research which emphasises the importance of investment in infrastructure to make the government’s ambition of shifting from analogue to digital a reality in reforming the NHS.
“Digital ways of working and delivering care can bring greater efficiency and added value for NHS organisations, as productivity increases and demand can be met. It also supports operational activities such as streamlining workflows, managing administration tasks and reducing duplication.
“The NHS has long needed research to understand the true cost of digitisation, which is part of the government’s three shifts. We have called for sustained funding to replace, upgrade and maintain essential digital and IT infrastructure as well as vital estates upgrades, of which digital infrastructure is fundamental. What is now clear from this new research are the ongoing high costs associated with this as modern digital infrastructure continues to evolve, and the need for a process of revenue funding for the NHS to achieve a fully digitised healthcare system.
“That is why we have been urging the government to use the upcoming Spending Review to continue to invest more capital in digital transformation. For a digital infrastructure to be implemented, digital pathways need both revenue and capital funding to improve healthcare outcomes for patients and make it easier for them to access healthcare.”
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