HFMA response / HFMA response to the Health and Social Care Committee’s inquiry on digital transformation in the NHS

The Health and Social Care Committee’s inquiry on digital transformation in the NHS will explore the current use of digital technology in the NHS and examine how it needs to change to improve patient care. The inquiry will consider digitalising health and care records for interoperability so that they can be accessed across primary, secondary and social care. It will also look at legacy IT systems in the NHS, and the interaction between digital transformation and clinical research. Finally, the inquiry will consider how to prevent digital health inequalities and inform patients of the potential benefits of digital approaches to healthcare. 

The HFMA’s response raised members’ concerns that there funding and accounting are a barrier to implementing any digital solution, let alone the type of innovative solutions the inquiry is considering.