LONDON (Enmaeya News) — A new report from The Health Foundation challenges the assumption that introducing technology in the National Health Service will automatically save staff time.
Published Feb. 24, 2025, the report, Tech to Save Time: How the NHS Can Realise the Benefits, highlights mixed results in how digital tools affect workloads. While the government has promoted technology to support staff amid growing pressure on the NHS, the report cautions that benefits depend heavily on how systems are implemented.
The research, which includes findings from The Health Foundation and the Evidence Centre, found that in some cases, technology failed to reduce staff time—or even increased it—due to workflow inefficiencies, poor usability and lack of integration with existing processes.
“Saving staff time through the use of tech is seen as a major part of the answer to many of the NHS’s problems,” said Tim Horton, assistant director of insights and analysis at The Health Foundation. “Our analysis shows that simply procuring new technology and expecting it to save staff time doesn’t work.”
Horton emphasized the need for policymakers to fund not only the technology itself, but also the broader process of change. “Policymakers and system leaders must fund the change, not just the tech,” he said.
The report calls for a shift in health policy—from focusing solely on technology procurement to prioritizing proper implementation and optimization. It argues that successful adoption depends on sufficient funding, staff support and local flexibility.
It also notes wide variation in the effectiveness of different tools. In some cases, systems increased staff workload due to poor design or lack of user training.
With the NHS’s 10-year health plan underway, the report urges a more realistic approach to digital transformation. Its findings echo Lord Darzi’s 2025 NHS review, which warned that new technologies often add to clinicians’ workloads rather than freeing up time for care.
Malte Gerhold, director of innovation and improvement at The Health Foundation, reinforced this point in a November 2024 interview, stressing the need to adequately support staff in implementing digital health solutions.