Top 10 NHS IT stories of 2025

1. NHS to be ‘digital by default’

In June 2025, the government finally published its long-awaited 10 year plan for the NHS, the latest edition of how to save the health service with the help of technology. The plan included a single patient record (SPR) for every patient, which will include medical records and a personal health risk account, and eventually link to social care records.

The SPR will be an NHS passport, alongside a digitally enabled Neighbourhood Health Service, allowing people to use the NHS App to communicate with clinicians, share data and self-refer to services. The strategy also promised that most outpatient appointments would be replaced with digital AI-enabled advice, saving the NHS £14bn a year.

2. Can a future digital NHS survive another change?

In one of many changes to the NHS over the past decade, prime minister Keir Starmer announced in March 2025 that he would be abolishing the “world’s biggest quango”, namely NHS England, and taking back democratic control of the health service.

It is only one of myriad changes the NHS has been through, and with change comes instability, which in turn could hinder progress in digital transformation.

Many, however, are hopeful that this is the change the NHS needs, with funding and national leadership to drive transformation forward.

3. Budget 2025: Extra NHS IT cash welcome, but plan lacks clarity 

The £300m additional capital investment in NHS technology in the 2025 Budget was very much welcomed by healthcare leaders and industry, but they also highlighted the lack of a clear delivery plan and concerns about fragmented systems.

The funding builds on the £10bn allocated in the 2025 Spending Review, but the funding is restrictive, as capital investment has limited scope and most of it will, according to some, be eaten up by simply keeping the current IT systems ticking over.

It is also no secret that the critical underinvestment in NHS IT over many years means that while it seems like a big funding boost, the money won’t stretch far.

4. NHS chief data officers concerned by FDP roll-out

In the controversial saga that is NHS England’s roll-out of the Federated Data Platform (FDP) programme, the NHS chief data and analytics officer network wrote an open letter to NHS England, highlighting issues with the way it is being implemented and the running costs.

Another issue is the way the government is dealing with public concerns around its supplier choice, namely a consortium run by American IT firm Palantir, which has attracted controversy.

While implementation of the platform statistically is going well, the chief data officers pointed out that this “does not equate to full endorsement” and that rather than doing what it is meant to do, it is leaning towards imposing specific software solutions on the NHS.

5. NHS App set to front-end online health service access

In September, the government announced its latest plans for the NHS App. By 2027, the NHS App will connect patients digitally to expert clinicians anywhere in the country through NHS Online, the new digital health service.

It will also allow patients to book scans on the app, track prescriptions and get advice on managing their conditions. Earlier in the year, the government also announced plans to allow patients to sign up for clinical trials using the app.

6. £150m AI framework agreement set to drive NHS forward

In one of the most interesting NHS tenders of 2025, NHS Shared Business Services (NHS SBS) issued a framework agreement tender for the use of AI in medical imaging and analysis worth £150m.

The agreement focuses on using AI in different specialities through providing efficient ways to prevent, diagnose and treat illness, providing real-time evidence-based recommendations during patient consultations.

7. Current funding models prevent health and social care integration, according to report

A report by telecare provider Tunstall found that the fragmented funding model currently in place won’t be able to tackle the gap between health and social care. This is despite several initiatives attempting to do so. The integration of health and social care has been a thorn in the side of the UK government for many years, particularly with local authorities being under significant financial strain.

The current funds are limited, with no national social care budget in England, and the report called for the government to look to other countries, where a central budget has improved services.

8. Wes Streeting launches digital qualification for social care leaders

Continuing on the theme of NHS and social care, health and social care secretary Wes Streeting attempted to alleviate some of the pressures and concerns by announcing a digital leadership qualification for care leaders.

The level 5 qualification will ensure social care leaders have the knowledge and skills to use digital innovations. The government also promised it would create a National Care Service to ensure greater public provision of social care.  

9. NHS asks suppliers to sign up to cyber covenant

To deal with the long history of cyber breaches in the health service, NHS digital leaders called for their suppliers to sign up to a voluntary cyber security charter.

The charter asks for suppliers to keep their IT systems in support and patched at all times to maintain at least “Standards Met” under the Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPOT), and to conduct board-level exercises on incident response.

NHS leaders were also ready and willing to ensure the health service plays its own part through, for example, developing bespoke tools that suppliers can use to audit their own supply chains in accordance with NHS needs, and defining requirements for a national supplier management platform and risk assurance model.

10. NHS IT the big winner in Rachel Reeves’ Spending Review

The NHS came out on top in the June Spending Review, with £10bn allocated to technology and digital transformation, as part of a £29bn funding boost for the health service.

The funding represents a 50% increase in the NHS technology budget, and aims to bring an “analogue health system into the digital age”.