How to Achieve Successful Digital Transformation in Healthcare

The NHS is under unprecedented strain, with wait and referral times reaching record highs and a £749 million overspend leading to a budget deficit across trusts in the UK.

Despite this, many trusts are being asked to deliver digital transformation projects and balance this desire for innovation with overstretched budgets, staff shortages and crumbling buildings. While the benefits of digital transformation are clear for all – from productivity boosting to improved patient care – many trusts are struggling to create an effective digital transformation programme with a shoestring budget.

Here are some steps to consider when creating a digital transformation strategy that can help you make the most of your existing budget.

Assessing your current set-up

Successful digital transformation requires a transparent and thorough examination of an organisation’s existing application and infrastructure in order to identify areas of most needed improvement, existing business risks and opportunities for upgrades.

All NHS trusts will have built up risk in their legacy processes, clinical pathways and technologies, with research from Virgin Media O2 Business, finding that 77% of the healthcare sector is still limited by old and outdated tech. This risks hampering digitisation, with a report from the Health and Social Care Committee finding that large parts of the NHS rely on outdated computers running different programmes and operating systems that were “unable to handle the demands of a modern digital health service.”

Old software also places patient data at risk of being stolen, with legacy software often being the weakest link in a hospital’s cyber resilience. Once software reaches its end-of-life, it stops receiving necessary updates, putting the system at risk of attack.

Therefore, by starting your digitisation strategy with a thorough assessment, you can gain a full picture of your organisation's needs and understand which areas to prioritise to ensure that data is safeguarded, and systems can cope with planned upgrades.

Choosing the right cloud system

Choosing the right cloud solution to support workloads is essential for NHS trusts. The public cloud offers scalability, allowing organisations to adjust virtual machines up and down based on requirements, which can help optimise costs.

However, recent concerns have been raised over the security of some of the public cloud services being leveraged by these institutions, with Microsoft recently admitting no guarantee of sovereignty for data stored on their public cloud infrastructure.

The international data transfers used by some hyper-scale public cloud systems open the door for foreign entities to access British citizen’s data. By choosing to use US headquartered solutions as opposed to an entirely sovereign UK cloud provider, for example, organisations risk exposing their data to the provisions of The Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data Act 2018 (US Cloud Act). This allows US federal authorities to subpoena the data, even if it is physically stored in the UK.

Sovereign private clouds are delivered with greater levels of control, offering fully NHS compliant alternatives with similar levels of flexibility and scale. Trusts should consider sovereign private cloud solutions - which are designed to meet the legal, regulatory, and operational requirements of the UK. They ensure that sensitive and patient data remains within national borders, addressing data sovereignty concerns.

This will become increasingly important as healthcare organisations look to leverage AI and Machine Learning. AI systems inherently have multiple layers of information encoded as part of the models deployed, which poses a challenge in clarifying which information is shared with underlying platforms for services that integrate AI functionality. Instead, leveraging AI capabilities within a private and sovereign cloud architecture can provide the robust data security required for handling sensitive data for AI applications.

By carefully selecting the right cloud infrastructure, NHS trusts can not only address current needs but also prepare for future technological advancements.

Collaboration is essential

To help navigate the expense associated with digital transformation projects, and ensure targets are met, smaller trusts should look to collaborate and combine resources on larger projects to provide the best results.

An example of this is the roll-out of Electronic Patient Records (EPR) systems. By working together, smaller trusts can share the costs, expertise, and resources required for implementing complex and critical systems. This collaboration makes the project more financially feasible and allows for the sharing of best practices, ultimately leading to more successful and efficient implementations across multiple trusts.

Additionally, successful digitisation programmes rely on having skilled staff to support the rollout. With 43% of people believing a lack of specialised skills and talent is the primary challenge the healthcare sector faces with digital transformation; the focus should be on equipping all workers with the necessary digital skills to effectively engage with and implement new technologies.

This involves comprehensive training programs and ongoing support to ensure that staff at all levels are comfortable with new digital tools and processes. By prioritising digital literacy and skills development among staff, organisations can create a more technologically literate workforce that can adapt quickly to new systems and contribute to their implementation.

Looking beyond the technology

One part of a digital transformation programme that is often overlooked is where infrastructure is hosted. In England, 54 hospital sites have RAAC concrete and are facing renovation.

This situation creates a unique opportunity for these hospitals to modernise their IT systems and infrastructure. As existing on-premise data centres often need to be relocated due to renovations, hospitals can seize this moment to leap forward in their digital transformation journey and migrate to cloud-based platforms.

This offers many advantages. For example, moving away from expensive on-premise data centres can significantly reduce capital expenditure and ongoing maintenance costs, leading to greater cost efficiency.

By outsourcing IT infrastructure management to cloud providers, hospitals can redirect resources to focus on their core competencies: patient care and medical innovations. This shift in focus can lead to improved healthcare outcomes and accelerated medical advancements. Finally, cloud platforms are typically more adaptable to emerging technologies, positioning hospitals to more easily adopt AI, machine learning, and other advanced tools in the future.

A successful digital transformation strategy in healthcare requires an approach that addresses key challenges and opportunities. By thoroughly assessing risks, carefully considering data sovereignty issues, and selecting appropriate cloud solutions, healthcare organisations, such as the NHS can build a strong foundation for their digital initiatives. Collaboration between trusts and seizing opportunities to modernise infrastructure are also crucial elements for success.

As the NHS continues to face financial pressures and increasing demands, digital transformation offers an opportunity for improved efficiency, better patient outcomes, and long-term cost savings. However, it's essential to approach this transformation thoughtfully, with a focus on NHSE-compliance, and operational effectiveness. By following the steps outlined and maintaining a commitment to continuous improvement, healthcare providers can navigate the intricacies of digital transformation and ultimately deliver better care to their patients.

Topics: AI & Digital