Parts of NHS lack ‘basic, functioning IT equipment’, MPs warn

Some parts of the NHS lack “the most basic, functioning IT equipment”, with progress on digitising the health service “slow and uneven”, MPs have warned.

Members of the Health and Social Care Committee published their Digital Transformation In The NHS report on Friday, exploring how the use of technology and innovation can sustain the health service in the future.

The report said past attempts at modernisation had been “frustrated by a number of factors” such as out-of-date IT systems “that cannot handle the demands of a modern digital health service”.

On a visit to the US, we saw digital patient records being used seamlessly in hospitals. Here, it can take more than 15 minutes for a clinician to turn on a PC because kit is outdated

It added: “Parts of the health service still lack even the most basic, functioning IT equipment.”

Witnesses told the committee the use of technology in the NHS had accelerated since the Covid-19 pandemic, although a statement from the King’s Fund said innovation “leans more towards ‘digitising’ than ‘transformation'”, such as offering GP appointments over the phone or via video.

The Government announced it would revamp the NHS App in May and the report suggests the new version should “bring benefits in terms of functionality, integration and personalisation”, but people need to have an incentive to download it.

There was a spike in people downloading the app during the pandemic as it hosted the “Covid pass” which showed a person’s vaccination status and test results.

One of the report’s recommendations to Government is that it “needs to clearly set out the benefits of using technology” while addressing risks and patient concerns.

MPs also warned against excluding those unable or unwilling to use digital services and said traditional channels should remain available while the digital offering is developed.

The committee said there is the potential for digital transformation in the NHS “to be different”, with clear intentions and funding needed to address challenges.

Another recommendation is that NHS England should be able to move away from the Agenda for Change pay scale when recruiting digital specialists in order to help hire and retain staff.

The report also said existing workers must have the “time, headspace and training” to fully engage with the transformation.

Steve Brine, chairman of the Health and Social Care Committee, said there is “reason for optimism in the Government’s approach”.

“We know that the NHS App was hugely successful during the pandemic and the Government has big plans for it to do more to bring real benefits to patients,” he added.

“However, there are major challenges to overcome. On a visit to the US, we saw digital patient records being used seamlessly in hospitals. Here, it can take more than 15 minutes for a clinician to turn on a PC because kit is outdated.

“The lack of skilled digital professionals is a further barrier. Until the NHS can offer higher salaries to compete with the private sector, it won’t be able to attract the people to deliver the transformation that’s needed to run a modern health service.

“The long-term sustainability of the health service depends on getting this right but there will be people who decide that digital services are not for them, and we are clear that they should not find themselves excluded by future developments.”