Health professionals in the UK remain skeptical about the effectiveness of electronic patient records (EPRs), even though the NHS in England has achieved over 90% coverage. A new report from the Health Foundation reveals that healthcare workers are struggling to access essential patient information, with many describing difficulties in obtaining notes and test results from different providers, which leads to time-consuming efforts to track down data.
The report underscores that, despite successive government attempts to modernize the NHS through digital transformation, concerns persist about the poor implementation of EPR systems. These challenges are preventing the NHS from reaching its full potential in improving productivity and patient care.
The NHS, one of the world’s largest healthcare providers, employs approximately 1.34 million people and operates with an annual budget of £188.5 billion ($241 billion). However, early attempts to introduce EPRs, including the National Programme for IT launched in 2003, faced major setbacks. A 2011 report from the National Audit Office concluded that the program failed to deliver value for money, prompting its cancellation.
In response, successive governments have worked to reduce the use of paper records, with the goal of achieving a “core level of digitization” across all care providers by 2024. While reaching 90% coverage is seen as a significant achievement, the Health Foundation’s report reveals that many healthcare professionals remain unconvinced by the system’s benefits. Many feel the systems are poorly implemented or are only being used for basic functions.
The report highlights that, although clinical staff see EPRs as a promising tool that could save time in the next five years, persistent interoperability issues remain a significant barrier to success. Staff have reported ongoing challenges with sharing data across different systems, preventing smooth access to important patient information.
The Health Foundation also points to data from the Digital Maturity Assessment (DMA), which shows that, while 90% of NHS trusts have adopted EPRs, only 10-30% of these systems are being used for more advanced functions, such as integrated prescriptions or sharing records with other hospitals.
The issue of modernizing NHS IT systems has been a focus of both Conservative and Labour governments. Before being ousted, the Conservative administration pledged £3.4 billion ($4.36 billion) to upgrade NHS technology, hoping to generate savings of £35 billion ($44 billion). More recently, the Labour government has committed £2 billion ($2.56 billion) for NHS technology upgrades, aiming to produce efficiency savings.
As both government and healthcare professionals seek to unlock the full potential of digital healthcare, the report emphasizes that technology alone is not enough. People, as well as investment, will play a crucial role in the success of these initiatives.
The Health Foundation’s findings provide a timely reminder that, despite progress, significant hurdles remain before the NHS can fully harness the benefits of electronic patient records.
Related topics
