Digitalising the NHS

The government's Health and Care Act 2022 sets out plans to reform the NHS in a move to deliver more joined-up care. The Act introduces the requirement for all of England to be covered by an integrated care system (ICS). Legal obligations are imposed on NHS England to ensure every area in England is covered by an ICS or integrated care board, and clinical commissioning groups will be abolished.

In England, electronic patient records (EPRs) have to be implemented in at least 90% of NHS trusts by December 2023. Currently, around 80% of NHS trusts have EPR systems in place. The 45 trusts that are lacking the technology to have EPRs in place or to be processing them by the end of 2023 will need support to meet the target. By March 2024, 80% of social care providers will take on digital social care records, presently around 40% are believed to rely solely on paper records. As part of NHS reform there will be an increased role for the NHS App, with an aim to get 75% of all adults in England using the app by March 2024 (Iacobucci, 2022).