Workforce pressures are the most important blocker to reaching the digital transformation within the NHS 10 yr well being plan, in response to analysis by Digital Well being.
In a survey, accomplished by 97 NHS employees working throughout digital, scientific and operational roles, 96% of respondents mentioned that workforce pressures are stopping digital progress.
The most important strain quoted was rising demand on providers (28%), adopted by inadequate workforce price range (21%), employees burnout and wellbeing (13%) and pressures recruiting and retaining employees (13%). Workers shortages had been talked about by 11% of respondents.
Commenting on the findings, Thomas Mickleright, a GP and digital transformation scientific lead for NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, mentioned: “We’re being requested to ship extra digital change than ever, however groups are exhausted.
“There is no such thing as a protected time and no capability to tackle new digital duties when scientific demand retains rising.
“The workforce plan within the spring should recognise the dimensions of this strain.”
In September 2025, the Division of Well being and Social Care launched a name for proof to contribute in the direction of the forthcoming NHS 10 yr workforce plan, which is anticipated to be revealed in spring.
NHS England dropped its earlier plan to publish a devoted digital workforce plan, promised in 2024, and can now incorporate digital into the general workforce plan.
Responding to the survey outcomes, Dr Paul Jones, chief digital data officer at Leeds Educating Hospitals NHS Belief, mentioned: “These findings underline what many people see every single day. Workforce pressures at the moment are the most important barrier to digital progress.
“If we’re to attain the proposed shift from analogue to digital and for these nationwide programmes to essentially succeed, expectation have to be matched with capability, functionality and guarded time for groups to ship change safely”.
Unprepared for the ten yr well being plan
When requested about delivering the digital ambitions outlined the NHS 10 yr well being plan, 60% of survey respondents mentioned that they felt unprepared, with 22% feeling ‘very unprepared’ and 38% feeling “considerably unprepared”. Just one% mentioned that they felt “very ready” and 21% felt “considerably ready”.
Preparedness stands at 36% for delivering the only affected person file and 32% for the federated information platform.
Solely 28% mentioned that they really feel ready to ship the NHS App because the “full entrance door” to the well being service, with 49% feeling unprepared for this.
AI integration was additionally an space of low confidence with 27% of survey respondents feeling ready for supply and 52% feeling unprepared.
Karl Grundy, managing director at Digital Well being, mentioned: “That is the primary time scientific and IT leaders have had the prospect to provide detailed views on the achievability of digital plans within the 10 yr well being plan.
“With the NHS Workforce Plan due subsequent yr, the outcomes function a well timed warning to authorities – ambitions are achievable, however not with out additional funding within the workforce.
“We have to deal with spring subsequent yr as a turning level, to deal with these points and help employees to scale digital and information.
“Rewired 2026 will deliver the neighborhood collectively at precisely the proper time to take inventory and set out a sensible, sustainable strategy to digitalisation”.
Digital Well being Rewired 2026 will happen on 24 – 25 March on the NEC in Birmingham, with programme exploring digital readiness, workforce capability and the challenges of delivering nationwide digital platforms.
