How the NHS 10-Year Health Plan intends to transform patient care, digitally

The landscape of healthcare delivery is about to change dramatically. The government’s Fit for the Future: 10-Year Health Plan for England isn’t just another policy document; it’s a roadmap that will fundamentally transform how NHS organisations deliver care, engage with patients, and operate day-to-day.

The Plan puts a focus on three main shifts:

1. hospital to community,
2. analogue to digital, and
3. sickness to prevention.

For trusts and ICBs, the digital shift represents an opportunity to solve long-standing challenges while improving patient outcomes and staff satisfaction. The plan’s ambitious agenda addresses many of the pain points faced daily, from administrative burden to patient access issues, with the focus for solving these on moving from an analogue to a digital approach.

Moving ‘from bricks to clicks’

At the centre of the transformation is the evolution of the NHS App into a comprehensive healthcare gateway. For trusts, this means patients should arrive better informed, more engaged, and with clearer expectations about their care journey.

Imagine patients who can access their complete medical records before appointments, receive personalised health advice through “My NHS GP”, and choose services based on transparent quality data through “My Choices”. This isn’t just about convenience, it’s about creating more productive patient interactions and reducing the time that staff spend on basic information gathering.

Relieving the administrative burden

One of the most immediate benefits for trusts will be the reduction in administrative workload. The plan calls for AI scribes to handle routine documentation, freeing up clinical staff to focus on patient care rather than paperwork.

Our Liaison Care team has extensively assessed and carefully implemented the use of scribing software, Heidi, in recent months, to support practitioners in completing continuing healthcare (CHC) reviews. The software has indicated a saving of up to 350 hours per every 100 assessments for our practitioners, enabling them to support more ICBs in relieving CHC backlogs.

Single sign-on capabilities will eliminate the frustration of multiple system logins that currently slow down the workforce throughout the day. Integration of AI into clinical pathways with an infrastructure of continuous monitoring will provide decision support tools that help teams make faster, more informed choices about patient care.

These practical solutions to the operational challenges trusts face every day will ensure that the time the workforce currently spends on administrative tasks can be redirected to what they do best: caring for patients.

Get ahead, and find out more about Liaison Assist, where this outpatient digital Patient Initiated Follow-Up (PIFU) solution has seen more than 56,000 patients put onto PIFU pathways and avoided 50,000+ unnecessary appointments at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

It will be through the workforce that our 3 shifts are delivered.

The digital transformation isn’t just about technology, it’s about empowering the workforce. By reducing administrative burdens and providing better tools, the plan addresses many of the factors contributing to staff burnout and turnover.

Clinical teams will have access to integrated AI tools that support, rather than replace, their expertise. Decision support systems will help reduce diagnostic uncertainty, while automated documentation will free up time for patient interaction. This technology-enabled approach can help improve job satisfaction and retention.

Navigating the transformation

While the opportunities are significant, successful implementation requires careful planning and execution. Each NHS organisation will need to:

• Develop digital capabilities: Building or enhancing expertise in AI, analytics, and digital service design will be essential. This might involve training existing staff, recruiting new talent, or partnering with specialised consultancies. Ensuring that patient perspectives are integrated into these developments will also be crucial.
• Focus on change management: Technology is only as effective as the people using it. Investing in comprehensive change management programs that grow confident and capable users will be crucial for ensuring staff adoption and maximising the benefits of new digital tools.
• Strengthen data governance: With increased data sharing and AI integration, robust data governance frameworks will be essential for maintaining patient privacy and meeting the planned national quality agenda for AI adoption.
• Plan for integration: The plan’s vision of seamless digital experiences requires careful integration planning. Trusts will need to ensure new systems work effectively with existing infrastructure.

The financial perspective

The plan’s shift toward performance-based payments tied to patient outcomes represents both an opportunity and a challenge. Trusts that successfully implement digital transformation and improve patient outcomes will be rewarded, while those that lag behind may face further financial pressure.

The investment in digital transformation should be viewed not as a cost, but as essential infrastructure for future success. Early adopters will have competitive advantages in both patient satisfaction and financial performance.

The plan recognises that digital transformation is complex, but a trust or ICB doesn’t have to navigate this transformation alone; strategic partnerships, such as with Liaison, can provide the expertise and resources needed for successful implementation

Get ahead! Talk to us about how our innovative solutions can begin your transformation journey, with our wraparound service that helps solutions to be embedded and successfully used across the organisation.

The path forward

The 10-Year Health Plan offers organisations the opportunity to address long-standing challenges while improving patient care and staff satisfaction. Digital transformation isn’t optional – it’s the foundation for sustainable, high-quality healthcare delivery in the decades ahead.

The organisations that embrace this transformation through planned regional health innovation zones, embracing data from wearables, and redesigning opt-out will provide better patient experiences, operate more efficiently, and attract and retain the best staff. Those that delay risk being left behind in an increasingly digital healthcare landscape.

Patients deserve the best possible care, and workforces deserve the tools to deliver it effectively. If the 10-Year Health Plan provides the roadmap, Liaison can provide the support needed to ensure the transformation journey runs smoothly.