NHS digital drive hit by usability gaps despite progress, national survey finds

A recently published survey on electronic patient record (EPR) usability shows persistent issues with user satisfaction across the NHS.

The 2024 EPR usability survey, which was commissioned by NHS England and delivered in partnership with Ethical Healthcare Consulting and KLAS Research, showed that while overall satisfaction has gone up slightly since its previous survey in 2021, there is an NHS-wide usability issue.

The survey, which is believed to be the largest of its kind, gathered 23,622 responses from staff across the NHS. It showed that 44% of clinical staff reported not receiving any ongoing EPR training following initial implementation, and only 38% of clinicians said their EPR system was easy to learn.

Despite the centre doubling down on EPR investment to reach its target of every NHS trust having an EPR in place as of March 2026, only 34% of staff said their EPR makes them more efficient. In addition, 37% of respondents said they spent three or more hours per week on “unproductive charting”. For an NHS workforce already under extreme pressure, these findings are significant.

As Computer Weekly has previously reported, the roll-out of EPR among trusts has not been without problems. Concerns have been raised about how far these benefits can actually be realised. Some NHS trusts have experienced issues with integrating new systems and training staff on how to use them, which is reflected in the survey results.

Thomas Webb, founder of Ethical Healthcare Consulting, said he believed the survey results reflect a systemic gap in how digital programmes have been delivered.

Speaking to Computer Weekly, Webb said the NHS has struggled to find an effective way to implement EPRs. The same system could be implemented in two trusts and run perfectly in one, and not in another. “The NHS does not implement these systems well. Compared to the same systems in other countries, we really don’t do it well,” he said.

He added that much of this is down to the human factor, citing global research from KLAS, which also applies to the NHS. The data showed that around two-thirds of factors affecting user experience and the success of implementation are human, while only a third is the technology itself. “You can get these systems to absolutely fly and get really good use of it, or you can kill them. The difference is the human element,” he said.

The survey data supports this view, showing a 51-point variation in satisfaction scores between organisations using the same systems. However, infrastructure does remain a key constraint.

“The only exception to that is infrastructure. What we know from the data is that if infrastructure is poor, you can have absolutely perfect training, great clinical management, you can do the human factors perfectly, but it doesn’t make any difference,” Webb said. “So the infrastructure is a real limiting constraint and it’s a priority and a challenge for the NHS.”