Around £2.3 billion of the financial allocation will be used to fund more diagnostic tests, such as CT, MRI and ultrasound scans.

Health organisations and industry experts have welcomed the extra cash but fear this will not solve the issue of staff shortages. There are calls for in-depth digital transformation and the greater use of AI and robotics.

WHY IT MATTERS.

The funding will help by providing new equipment, which the Treasury says is equivalent to millions more checks, scans and procedures for non-emergency patients, as legacy digital equipment and out-of-date technology needs to be replaced.

It has been reported that the backlog in the NHS system is due to a bottleneck in access to tests. However, there is a shortage of staff and specialists to conduct the tests.

THE LARGER CONTEXT

Healthcare leaders have welcomed the funding and think that the new and improved IT systems will help NHS staff have access to the fastest broadband, and digital patient records will ensure patients get the best care, regardless of where they live.

Experts also believe there needs to be concerted increases in spending so that workforce and digital transformation can be planned for over the next 5 to ten years. 

One of the biggest issues in the NHS is the workforce and shortage of staff. It takes years to train staff, so backlog and urgent as well as emergency care will not be solved immediately by an increase in spending. 

ON THE RECORD

“The focus on digital technology in today’s funding announcement is welcome. But other sectors that have successfully adopted digital technology have benefited from long-term, ongoing investment at a significantly higher level than we have seen in healthcare to date,” Pritesh Mistry, fellow in Digital Technologies at The King’s Fund said.

“And money is not the only barrier to the NHS using digital technology to improve patient care and staff workload. Supporting staff and changing the culture of organisations will also be key to delivering meaningful change to how services are designed and delivered. Digital transformation needs staff, patients and leaders to have the time to engage. With funding comes expectations of progress which must be balanced with the other demands on the system or we risk perpetuating poorly implemented IT and rushed digital strategies.

“To realise the promise of digital technology, ministers will need to focus on supporting staff and getting the basics right as well as developing more sophisticated technologies such as AI and robotics. Otherwise workforce constraints, legacy IT systems and connectivity challenges will hold the NHS back from greater use of digital tools,” Mistry commented.

Rachel Hutchings, researcher at the Nuffield Trust said: “Additional money for modernising digital technology in the NHS is a good step, but we know that one-off cash injections are not sufficient to get the most out of digital solutions. These projects take time, and strategic longer-term funding is vital if the NHS is to be prepared for future technological developments.”

David Hancock, healthcare executive adviser, InterSystems said: “Any discussion on digital technology investment must be prefaced with the type of investment that is provided. Too often the funding is provided as capital expenditure when what the NHS requires is operational expenditure. This is especially as much more IT is being bought as a subscription service from public and private cloud providers. 

“Ultimately, funds need to be focused on improving productivity and patient safety... At the heart of this, we need solutions that are interoperable – there must be safe and effective sharing of information between systems which improve productivity and patient safety. 

Peter Corscadden, Install base manager EMEA at Hyland Healthcare, said: “While long overdue, this is welcome news and signals a clear commitment by the Government to accelerate digital transformation across the NHS.

“However, additional funding will not, on its own, guarantee future success. The wider transformation lessons must be shared across the NHS, so that existing and emerging best practice can benefit the entire organisation.

Peter Harrison, MD of Siemens Healthineers GB&I said: “Today’s announcement of £6 billion in funding represents a welcome commitment from government to support the NHS in kick-starting initiatives such as community diagnostic centres and the digitalisation of patient pathways.

“With NHS cancer backlogs estimated to last until 2033, and a third of NHS trusts relying on obsolete imaging equipment, it is clear this initial injection must be followed by a longer-term commitment to sustaining innovation and workforce development.”