Digital Implementation, Featured, News, Workforce March 14, 2025

The role of digital nurses in transforming healthcare

By Integrated Care Journal

Judy Sealey, Clinical Solutions Specialist at Altera Digital and former nurse, health discusses the evolving role of digital nurses in health and care and explores why their roles are so important.

Digital nurses are registered nurses who already have a wealth of clinical experience and have developed expertise in using digital technologies to improve patient care. They bridge the gap between traditional nursing practices and the modern digital healthcare landscape, ensuring technology is effectively integrated into clinical workflows to standardise and streamline processes to improve patient safety and enhance their healthcare journey.

How and why did you make the transition into digital nursing?

Judy Sealey: I have worked in the NHS for over 15 years mostly in emergency department (ED) and critical care (ICU) nursing, I have also dabbled a bit in specialist fields like infection control, tissue viability and cardiology as I searched for my true passion. At one time, nursing education was where I thought my passion lay, however, it was while I was a clinical educator in an ICU that was using an electronic patient record (EPR) that my passion for digital healthcare technology blossomed. I started off by making suggestions for optimisations, becoming more involved in refining some of the workflows and ensuring that staff were adequately trained and comfortable using the system. This led me to a variety of other opportunities and experiences.

For the last thirteen or so years I have taken on several roles within this space. My greatest passion and desire is continuous improvement to healthcare delivery and the huge role digital systems plays in this. I know firsthand the challenges of excessive repetitive documentation, time wasted searching for patient paper records, inefficient and clunky digital tools and workflows. I leverage my nursing expertise and wealth of digital skills to advocate for more user-friendly designs, less complex workflows that will enhance patient care and reduce clinicians’ burden and burnout.

How do digital nurses affect patient care and outcomes?

JS: Nurses are the largest workforce in health and care and are therefore the primary users of digital systems. Digital nurses bring a unique skill set to the table. They leverage their clinical knowledge and expertise to enhance digital tools like EPRs, mobile health apps and telehealth platforms. By doing so, they ensure the system is user-friendly, practical, efficient and safe. For example, at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, collaboration between digital and clinical teams has significantly improved patient safety through better EPR configuration and optimisations.

It sounds like collaboration is key. Can you talk a bit more about what happens when there’s a disconnect between clinical and digital teams?

JS: Unfortunately, that disconnect can often be traced to a lack of clinical input in the design and development of digital tools. Without clinical input, digital solutions may lack the context needed to be truly effective, which can disrupt workflows and compromise patient safety. That’s why digital nurses are essential – their input at every stage of the project ensures collaboration and bridges this gap, ensuring the creation of a system that enhances patient care and patient safety while improving efficiency.

How can healthcare systems better support digital nurses and foster collaboration?

JS: To truly support digital transformation, we need to invest in the digital nursing profession to ensure nurses have the necessary training, skills and dedicated time to be successful in this very important role. Digital nurses should be involved in all patient-facing digital projects, from planning, testing, training to delivery and optimisation. Nurses, being on the frontline, are uniquely positioned to identify service gaps and act on opportunities to make impactful changes.

NHS England’s National Chief Nursing Information Officer (CNIO) advocates for CNIOs in every NHS organisation. What’s your take on this?

JS: That’s a fantastic initiative. CNIOs are essential for every hospital because they play a vital role in ensuring the nursing perspective is represented in all aspects of digital health and care transformation. It underscores the importance of nursing leadership in driving the digital agenda and aligns with the goal of embedding digital nurses in all areas of care delivery. Crucially, the CNIO bridges that gap between clinical and digital teams, translating nursing needs into technical requirements and ensuring technology truly meets the needs of supporting patient care.

Looking ahead, what role do you see digital nurses playing in the future of health and care?

JS: As health and care continues to evolve, digital nurses will play a central role in driving the change in successfully navigating the future of digital healthcare. They will become more involved in the entire process, from selecting the most suitable digital solutions, to designing, implementing, testing, training and, indeed, optimising them. From EPR rollouts to telehealth projects and beyond, they’ll be key in ensuring that digital transformation truly meets the needs of frontline staff and continuously improves patient outcomes. Their involvement will drive innovation, improve patient safety and create efficiencies across the board.

Do you have any final thoughts for organisations looking to embrace the digital nursing profession?

JS: Yes, invest in your nursing workforce and be sure nursing curriculums include some aspect of digital training. Involve digital nurses in all patient-facing projects and make collaboration between clinical and digital teams a priority.

Without this, organisations risk digital transformations that compromise patient safety, hinder rather than support care and increase nurses’ workloads, which can contribute to burnout. An approach that embraces the involvement of digital nurses will drive effective inter-organisational collaboration that will help unlock the full potential of digital transformation and ensure it delivers real value to patients and staff alike.

Judy Seeley, Clinical Solutions Specialist, Altera Digital Health

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Workforce planning programme underway at Countess of Chester Hospital NHS FT

By Integrated Care Journal

A major workforce optimisation programme has started at the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with workforce planning specialists, SARD.

A new workforce optimisation programme has commenced at the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. The programme will seek to engage with the Trust workforce to gain a greater understanding of clinical capacity and demand, and empower teams to make more informed decisions about workforce planning. This work will support optimised service delivery, safe and efficient patient care and adequate resourcing to promote staff wellbeing.

Discussing why the project was initiated and the progress so far, Dr Nigel Scawn, Medical Director at Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Like many NHS hospitals, we are seeing a rise in demand for our services – coupled with an ageing population who have more complex health needs – so this project is a key part of our workforce strategy which will help to transform services to meet the future change in needs of local patients.

“We’ve completed the discovery and diagnostic phase, which included working with transformation leads, HR teams and our medical workforce to agree plans, review current policies, share SARD methodologies and understand their requirements.

“It’s been a complex, but critical, exercise because every specialty is unique and runs itself slightly differently. Information has been gathered from 303 job plans across the Trust’s 30 specialties and fed into a diagnostic report.”

Over the next twelve weeks, the Trust will focus on the core part of the programme by working closely with clinical consultants to make enhancements to job plans and processes that are aligned with capacity and demand. The process will also involve benchmarking job planning against other NHS Trusts in England.

Dr Scawn added: “At this stage, it’s about piecing all the information together to create a fuller picture of capacity and demand, which we can use to drive informed decisions and decide what resource we need and where. Ultimately, we’re looking to remove some of the peaks and troughs in our capacity and ensure we’re sufficiently resourced and distributed across our clinical areas. This balanced approach will help us make sure we’re using our resources effectively.”

Insights from the programme will support Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust to plan better for future demand. The proactive approach will enable the Trust to devise clear and strategic recruitment plans, especially in areas where demand is anticipated to increase in the short-to-medium term.

In addition, greater oversight and improved job planning capabilities will support the Trust to reach the advanced levels of attainment for medical job planning set by NHS England. The framework ranges from level 0 to level 4 and published data from NHS England indicates that the national average is currently at 0.6. The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is expected to be at level 3 on completion of the project.

The Trust also intends to share the outputs and learnings from the work with NHS England to help build a national picture and inform policy and planning.

Phil Bottle, Managing Director at SARD, said: “The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust’s commitment to redefine its job planning and transform operations is abundantly clear. The Medical Director, Nigel Scawn, and his team are fully embracing new ways of working to resolve long-standing challenges with workforce planning that many NHS trusts are facing. They are demonstrating that best practice goes beyond just deploying job planning systems.

“During the discovery stage, the engagement from the medical workforce has been fantastic and there is a desire to create positive change across the Trust. SARD’s ethical approach to workforce planning is led by service, staff wellbeing and sustainability so we are perfectly aligned with Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust to deliver an effective long-term job planning solution that supports safe and effective patient care. We’re looking forward to helping the trust optimise its workforce planning in the same way we have supported other NHS Trusts including Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust and Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.”

The workforce strategy at the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is part of an overall improvement programme across the Trust, focusing on improved care for patients and families and a greater emphasis on staff wellbeing. The Trust has three hospitals – The Countess of Chester Hospital, Ellesmere Port Hospital and Tarporley War Memorial Hospital – and provides services to 420,000 people across West Cheshire.

The project is set to be completed by April 2025.

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AXREM hosts event celebrating women in health and care

By Integrated Care Journal

AXREM, the trade association representing the suppliers of diagnostic medical imaging, radiotherapy, healthcare IT and care equipment in the UK held an event to mark International Women’s Day.

AXREM has championed women in health and care during International Women’s Day for several years, but this year elevated its celebration further by hosting an event at The Florence Nightingale Museum at St Thomas’ Hospital, London.

On the eve of International Women’s Day 2025, in an aptly chosen venue, AXREM hosted more than 60 key industry female opinion leaders and key stakeholders.

There was a full programme of speakers including an actor as Florence Nightingale talking about her work, a video address from Baroness Merron, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Patient Safety, Women’s Health and Mental Health at the Department of Health & Social Care; Preeya Bailie Director of Central Commercial Function, Commercial Directorate at NHS England; Saduf Ali-Drakesmith, Head of Sales at Smart Reporting & Vice Convenor of the Imaging IT SFG; Yasmeen Mahmoud, Business Manager HPM UKI at Philips Healthcare; and Kath Halliday, President of the Royal College of Radiologists.

Florence Nightingale was an English social reformer, statistician and the founder of modern nursing. Nightingale came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during the Crimean War, in which she organised care for wounded soldiers at Constantinople. She significantly reduced death rates by improving hygiene and living standards. Nightingale gave nursing a favourable reputation and became an icon of Victorian culture, especially in the persona of “The Lady with the Lamp” making rounds of wounded soldiers at night.

Sally Edgington, AXREM Chief Executive Officer said in her speech: “we have gathered to celebrate the strength, resilience, and brilliance of women in our industry. I am a female leader and currently lead a fabulous all female team, I am biased… but they really are all inspirational, supportive and hard working women and I feel truly blessed to work alongside each of them.

International Women’s Day is not just a day to acknowledge the progress we’ve made, but a day to remind ourselves of the work that still lies ahead. It’s a day to honour the trailblazers, the changemakers, and the unsung heroes who have shaped history and continue to inspire us all today. There are many of these women within our sector and AXREM membership”.

Sally ended her speech by saying: “When women rise, society rises with them. We all benefit when women are empowered, when they are given the tools, the respect, and the opportunity to lead, create, and flourish.

So, to all the women here tonight, to those who inspire us from afar, and to the generations of women who will come after us:

Keep pushing boundaries.

Keep dreaming big.

Keep shining your light.

The world is better because of all of us”

Reflecting on the event, Sally Edgington said: “It was a fabulous evening where we were able to bring together some thought leaders from our industry, it was also an evening where we could announce an AXREM Women’s network, This will further build on the important work AXREM has done over the last few years to really champion women in our industry and female leaders, so I am excited to launch this initiative and see how we can work with our members and stakeholders to develop this.”

Huw Shurmer, AXREM Chair & Strategic and Government Relationship Manager at Fujifilm Healthcare UK, said: “I was honoured to attend this event represented by so many strong women working in our industry. The speakers provided thought provoking content which gave me a different perspective on how far we have come, and how far there is still to go. I am looking forward to seeing the development of an AXREM Women’s Network to provide an industry forum and platform.”

One in four Brits seeking help from A&E due to GP pressures

By Integrated Care Journal

A new nationally representative survey reveals more than one in four Brits (27 per cent) have visited emergency departments because of delays in accessing GP appointments.

New survey data reveals that more than a quarter (27 per cent) of the public have visited A&E recently because the waiting time to access a GP appointment was too long, despite 2024 seeing a record high (370 million) GP appointments delivered.

Conducted by Savanta and commissioned by digital-first healthcare provider Livi, the findings also revealed that delays are leading to worsening of conditions or prolonged recovery, along with increasing costs to the public system based on the cost of a GP consultation versus an A&E attendance.

Regional data reveals that 45 per cent of Londoners who responded to the survey have visited A&E rather than wait to see their GP, while 41 per cent of under-35s reported visiting A&E as an alternative to waiting for a GP appointment.

GPs and clinicians are also feeling the strain of the challenges facing the healthcare system.

Dr Dan Bunstone, Primary Care Network (PCN) clinical director for Warrington Innovation Network and lead GP said: “As GPs, we see first-hand the strain on the system every day. We’re working in a landscape of chronic underfunding for innovation, severe staff shortages, and an ageing population with increasingly complex health needs. Demand is rising, and the resources to meet it simply aren’t there.”

Last month, the Government outlined its priorities for the NHS in 2025 and 2026 – including an objective to improve access to primary care services, and to invest in data and digital to improve productivity in primary care. On 28 February, the Government and BMA also announced a new contract for general practice

The results of this new survey demonstrate how urgently this action is needed, to tackle patient access, GP workload and workforce shortages to avoid pressures and rising costs reaching into other parts of the public system.

Dr Bunstone explained that GPs are delivering more appointments than ever but need alternative solutions to help them to tackle the pressures of long waiting lists and workforce shortages: “Patients deserve timely care, and GPs are constantly looking for ways that allow us to deliver care more effectively and empower our patients. Against all odds we are still delivering more appointments than ever. By embracing digital tools and integrating digital and physical care settings with services across primary and secondary care, we need continued investment in innovative solutions and system-wide coordination.”

Dr Kalle Conneryd Lundgren, Chief Executive Officer at Livi, who commissioned the research, commented on the findings: “The Government needs to act now. These findings confirm what we have long known: the crisis in A&E, hospital backlogs, and ‘corridor care’ all stem from a fundamental failure to provide timely, accessible care in the community. Patients are being left with nowhere else to turn, forcing them into inappropriate care settings and overwhelming an already stretched system and leading to increased costs.

“This isn’t just about more resources, nor is it about capacity. It’s about smarter solutions to boost efficiency and get more patients seen cost effectively. The Government must act now to invest in digital, empower ICSs to scale primary care, and fund proven solutions. By integrating digital and physical care, we can streamline referrals, optimise patient pathways, lower costs and improve access. Working together, we can build a system that works better for both patients and the workforce.”

Council of Deans of Health announce 2025 Spring Conference

By Integrated Care Journal

The Council of Deans of Health’s Spring Conference will focus on shaping the future of clinical academia and healthcare education

The Council of Deans of Health – which represents the UK’s university faculties engaged in education and/or research for nursing, midwifery and the allied health professions – has announced the launch of its 2025 Spring Conference, scheduled for April 1, 2025, at the Congress Centre, London. This event will bring together K arin Smyth MP, Minister of State for Health as keynote speaker, and esteemed experts from the ﬁelds of clinical academia and healthcare education to engage in important discussions on the future of these sectors.

This year’s conference will feature an array of distinguished speakers who are shaping the future of clinical academia and healthcare education. One of the key highlights will be Professor Dame Jessica Corner, Executive Chair of Research England at UKRI, who will share crucial insights and recommendations stemming from the clinical academic workforce task and ﬁnish Group. Her presentation will focus on how we can best support clinical academics in the evolving healthcare landscape.

Additionally, Rob Stroud, Director of Assessment Services and Access to Higher Education at the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, will provide an in-depth overview of recent changes to the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s (NMC) education quality assurance process.

Elizabeth Fenton OBE, Director of Nursing and Midwifery at NHS England, will discuss the ﬁndings of the educator survey. This will offer valuable insights into the current state of the healthcare educator workforce, informed by data contributed by the Council’s members.

Additional speakers include:

Professor Anne-Maree Keenan OBE, Pro-Dean for Research and Innovation, University of Leeds; Academic Capacity Development Lead, NIHR Leeds BRC
Beverley Harden MBE, Deputy Chief Allied Health Professions Officer, NHS England
Dr Simon Cassidy, Head of Placement Experience and Improvement, HEIW
Professor Jane Coad, Professor in Children and Family Nursing, The University of Nottingham; Chair, Clinical Academic Roles Implementation Network
Hugh Tregoning, Professional Liaison Consultant, Health and Care Professions Council

Event details:

Date: Tuesday, April 1, 2025
Time: 09:30 – 17:00
Location: Congress Centre, London, WC1B 3LS

The conference will provide ample opportunity for networking and collaborative discussions, ensuring participants can engage with experts and peers in meaningful ways throughout the day.

For more information and to register, visit this link and follow the Council of Deans of Health on social media. We look forward to welcoming you to our 2025 Spring Conference.

New data sheds light on NHS efficiencies challenge

By Integrated Care Journal

Survey of public sector workers in the UK suggests that 93 per cent of NHS organisations are hindered by substantial process inefficiencies, while most are confident that AI and automation will help to ease administrative burdens.

New research has shed light on the potential impact and scale of process inefficiencies across the NHS. The 2025 UK Public Sector Efficiency Survey, conducted by Appian, in partnership with Coforge, polled 1,000 UK public sector workers, including 242 NHS staff. Of those respondents, 95 per cent stated that they face process inefficiencies in delivering services, averaging out at five hours per week in extra work or delays.

Were this data representative of the NHS’s entire 1.5 million-strong workforce, this would equate to 7.5 million hours of extra work per week.

The top reported obstacles were:

Manual and repetitive tasks
Immediate challenges forcing reactive decision-making over proactive solutions
A need to access multiple legacy systems to review or enter the same information
A lack of training and support

NHS workers also reported process change as a common challenge, with 93 per cent stating that their organisation struggles to adapt its processes (specifically while maintaining productivity amid changing service demands and government policies).

These challenges are intensified by mounting pressure to improve productivity. The 2024 Darzi Report revealed that NHS productivity has declined by at least 11.4 per cent since 2019, and there is a significant gap between the NHS and other sectors in digital transformation progress.

Outdated systems obstruct NHS productivity

Legacy technology remains a significant obstacle to NHS efficiency. A 2025 report published by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) revealed that NHS England experienced 123 critical service outages last year, due to archaic technology.

“With elective care waiting lists at an all-time high, productivity is an urgent priority,” Peter Corpe, Industry Leader, UK Public Sector at Appian. “The research shows that NHS workers are challenged with legacy technology. Asking them to act as the human glue that binds those systems and technologies together only hinders efficiency further.”

AI and automation: the keys to efficiency?

Despite process challenges, the findings suggest that NHS staff are optimistic about the opportunities process automation and AI technologies offer:

Confidence in AI: 64 per cent of NHS workers expressed some or high confidence in AI’s potential to improve organisational efficiency.
Confidence in automation: 69 per cent believe automating repetitive tasks would simplify their jobs and improve outcomes. Among those already using workflow or process automation tools, 95 per cent reported improvements, including enhanced productivity, improved communication, greater consistency and traceability.

The solution to smarter public services

In a recently released AI Opportunities Action Plan, the government committed to building cutting-edge, secure, and sustainable AI infrastructure to support all public sector organisations, including the NHS. “The government is clear on its mission to automate processes in the public sector,” said Corpe. “AI adoption is no longer a question of if but when.” And according to survey respondents, public sector workers are ready for change.

The solution to process inefficiency, Corpe says, is to make technology part of the process. “And no company is better equipped to deploy AI in enterprise processes than Appian. Appian is the leader in process orchestration, automation, and intelligence. By embedding AI in processes with unified, secure enterprise data, Appian is improving service delivery outcomes. And we’ve been at the forefront of better process outcomes in government for over 25 years.”

“Every NHS organisation is built on processes, and when those processes improve, so do the services delivered,” said Corpe. “With millions of hours a week at stake, resolving process inefficiencies and orchestrating pathways such as referrals or discharge management offers the NHS a chance to work more efficiently. This means more time for strategic and value-driven activities that directly improve patient outcomes.”

Coforge, an Appian partner for over 13 years with 350+ Appian practitioners on staff, has seen these outcomes first-hand. “Modern AI and automation technologies are transforming complex government processes into streamlined digital workflows,” said Coforge Chief Customer Success Officer, John Speight. “By partnering with Coforge, organisations are turning this potential into reality – reducing processing times from hours to minutes to achieve significant cost savings, and deliver smarter, faster, community-focused outcomes.”

Download the 2025 UK Public Sector Efficiency Survey for more findings from public servants.

How technology can help reduce, rather than manage, healthcare demand

By Michelle Wheeler

By Michele Wheeler, International Health and Life Sciences Director at Lexica

Healthcare transformation is an ongoing focus in the UK. Economic growth and a healthy workforce are closely linked, with universal healthcare a critical factor.

Yet costs and demand continue to spiral. Living standards and medical innovation have extended lives, but it would be hard to argue that the benefits of better health are equally spread. While progress has been made across many disease areas, it has stalled in others, increasing the burden on the NHS.

The health service is forecast to have a deficit of £4.5 billion for 2024/25, needing to restrict spending by £8 billion to stay within budget and increase productivity by 2 per cent. It also needs to reduce a growing waiting list.

The problem with managing demand

To address this, successive governments have strived to reconfigure how healthcare is delivered over the years, all in an attempt to keep costs and demand contained. However, these endeavours have fallen short of their objectives. The reason? They fail to address the causes of increased demand, instead focusing on how to gatekeep and, ultimately, manage demand instead.

That may now be changing. Introduced in 2022, integrated care systems (ICSs) bring together health sector providers within a geographical area. Their mandate is to plan, shape, and deliver health services to meet their communities’ health needs. This decentralised, place-based model for healthcare is a step towards the holistic partnerships needed to reduce health inequalities.

Alongside other service providers, these partnerships can help design approaches and provisions that support individuals to focus more on early intervention and combat the risk of lost well-being and independence. More self-management, the use of remote technology to deliver care without overburdening the front line, and more reablement therapy are also key tenets.

The autumn statement signals that this place-based systems approach is here to stay, with significant fiscal support accelerating its pace and impact. This includes a £13.6 billion capital increase and a clear signal to invest in both technology and the estate required to increase capacity and performance.

The role of technology in addressing healthcare demand

The autumn statement also anticipates that advancements in MedTech, robotics, artificial intelligence and machine learning, and emerging technologies will be vital in reshaping efficient, affordable, and sustainable frontline clinical services. Critically, these can be achieved without compromising on equitable access and quality.

Of course, technology is already being deployed to improve healthcare delivery. More than half of patients with chronic diseases now accept remote healthcare via telemedicine, releasing millions of in-person appointments and substantial healthcare resource.

AI is shortening screening times for drugs to one day, offsetting shortages of specialists who interpret echocardiograms to diagnose heart disease, and speeding up diagnosis by between five to ten times. It is making hospital management systems smarter, with open, connected digital platforms for real-time visual management of operations, resources, patient flows, bed occupancy, and medical device use. It can help management make informed decisions needed to underpin performance and outcomes.

Hardware is also having a significant impact. In 2024, the UK Research and Innovation Future Flight Challenge funded the first national drone network in Scotland to transport essential medicines, blood, and other medical supplies, connecting hospitals, GPs, laboratories, and remote communities. Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust is currently trialling drone transport for blood samples to the labs, cutting transport time to two minutes and speeding up clinical decision-making.

Elsewhere, virtual reality glasses can provide clinical experts with the same view as being in the ambulance, support remote access to global surgical expertise for surgeon training, and, with robotics, allow remote surgery itself.

Even without the use of VR, the use of robotics is growing. The NHS conducted 56,600 robot-assisted surgical procedures in 2023, up 29 per cent on 2022.

Using technology and policy to tackle demand

All of these innovations offer better and safer access, less wasted time, and lower costs. However, to use them effectively, we need to understand the challenges in healthcare from multiple perspectives – patients, professionals, and management – and co-design care models that work. For patients, this means less time away from home and work to attend appointments, offering greater empowerment and less disruption to day-to-day life.

The focus on place, technology, and prevention should aid in this transformation. While efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and performance remain core principles in delivering services, the emphasis is now on “system” performance. That includes the optimal use of collective resources and leveraging technology to offset staff shortages, reduce dependency on high-cost facilities, and improve access to increasingly costly medical expertise and equipment.

A new watchword for healthcare demand

Costs are not going to stop rising, and without targeted, strategic intervention, neither will demand. The proper deployment of technology can dramatically increase the management and delivery of care, but at some point, the focus needs to shift to tackling why there is demand in the first place.

Rather than chasing solutions to alleviate the burden on the NHS, we should change the question to ‘How do we reduce our reliance on the need for social care services?’ Reducing demand, balanced with proactive prevention measures, is the new focus.

*Michelle Wheeler, International Health and Life Sciences Director, Lexica*

AI matches radiologists in detecting prostate cancer in NHS-backed multi-centre study

By Integrated Care Journal

A trial of Pi AI software, already in use in the NHS, has shown high accuracy in analysing MRI scans to distinguish clinically significant prostate cancer.

Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Lucida Medical have announced the results of a five-year collaboration. Results from the PAIR-1 (Prostate AI Research – 1) study shows that the Pi AI software, now in use in NHS and European hospitals, performs as well as expert radiologists at detecting prostate cancer from magnetic resonance imagining (MRI) scans. Prostate cancer is the most common men’s cancer, leading to around 12,000 deaths in the UK every year.

PAIR-1 is a collaborative research study between eight NHS Trusts and Lucida Medical, approved by the NHS Health Research Authority and funded by the company. The study partners gathered historical data from over 2,000 patients and used this to develop, train and validate Pi, a software platform that uses artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to analyse magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to help distinguish clinically significant prostate cancer.

Dr Antony Rix, CEO and Co-Founder at Lucida Medical, highlights that “every year, over 50,000 men in the UK and 1.5 million men worldwide are diagnosed with prostate cancer. The disease may start slowly, but can be deadly if it’s not caught early, killing 12,000 men in the UK and 400,000 men around the world each year.”

An MRI scan is a key step to diagnose prostate cancer. The MRI is used to help identify patients at low risk who can avoid a painful, invasive biopsy, and to locate possible lesions so that higher-risk patients can have a targeted biopsy to maximise the chance of finding cancers that need treatment. Mark Hinton, CTO at Lucida Medical, explained: “Pi is medical device software that is CE approved for use in clinics. We developed Pi to automate key steps like outlining lesions and calculating risk scores, to assist radiologists to make these challenging decisions.”

Dr Francesco Giganti, Associate Professor of Radiology at University College London, presents the results of the PAIR-1 study today at the European Congress of Radiology (ECR) in Vienna. He noted that “this research found that Pi is non-inferior to multidisciplinary team-supported radiologists across a validation set of sequential cases from 6 NHS hospitals with a wide range of MRI scanner types. This is the first time that a commercial AI for prostate MRI has been tested on diverse, real-world data.”

Dr Aarti Shah, Consultant Radiologist at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, was Chief Investigator on the study. She highlighted that “analysing MRI scans is a time-consuming task for expert radiologists, and there are too few of us in the UK and many other countries. Pi offers exciting potential as an aid to help reporting radiologists in triaging workloads as well as producing visual reports to aid contouring of lesions for biopsy.”

“We founded Lucida Medical with a shared vision to use AI to transform the diagnosis of cancer. Five years on, it is wonderful to see this working in practice and recognised by a major journal and conference,” added Prof Evis Sala, Co-Founder of Lucida Medical, Professor of Radiology at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore and Chair of Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Radiotherapy at the Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli, IRCCS in Rome.

Pi is available for use in the UK and Europe to support the diagnosis of prostate cancer.

At ECR 2025, Dr Giganti’s presentation, AI-powered prostate cancer detection: a multi-centre, multi-scanner validation study, took place in session CTiR 16 – Clinical Trials in Radiology: spotlight, in Room N on Feb 28 at 16.00 CET. The research is also published in European Radiology at https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-024-11323-0.

New national data shows improved respiratory outcomes with digital therapeutics

By Integrated Care Journal

Toolkit has driven significant reductions in reliever inhaler usage among asthma and COPD users, with biggest improvements seen in socioeconomically deprived areas.

A respiratory digital therapeutics toolkit is improving outcomes and reducing health inequalities for people with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Wales.

The toolkit, which has reached full adoption across 100 per cent of GP practices and hospitals in NHS Wales, is providing a personalised, digital care plan that empowers hundreds of thousands of people to take control of their condition and stay well in the community.

Professor Simon Barry, National Respiratory Clinical Lead at NHS Wales (2016-2024), explained the impact the toolkit is having at a national scale: “Overall, we’re seeing patients showing a significant improvement in wellness scores in as little as three months. The biggest improvement is among patients using the asthma app for four months or more who are seeing their wellness score increase by 41 per cent. Users in socioeconomically deprived areas, and young people are seeing the greatest improvements in their Royal College of Physicians (RCP) 3-questions score.”

In addition, the toolkit has driven significant reductions in the use of reliever inhalers, an important marker of disease control:

Asthma app users have a statistically significant improvement in their reliever inhaler usage, with 35 per cent having improved reliever use within one year, and 20 per cent of patients going from some reliever use to no reliever use.
COPD app users’ reliever use improved after one year, with the percentage of users making use of relievers decreasing substantially from 67 per cent to 38 per cent.
Patients using the app are 42 per cent more likely to be using Dry Powder Inhalers (DPIs) than the general population, accelerating the NHS Wales priority to increase the proportion of low global-warming potential inhalers (DPIs) used vs pressurised Metered Dose Inhalers
Improvements are particularly pronounced in socioeconomically deprived areas.

The successful rollout has enabled many more outcome improvements, including reductions in GP visits and A&E admissions to alleviate pressure on overstretched services. The Respiratory Health Improvement Group (RHIG) in Wales will present new national datasets at an upcoming event, showcasing years of progress and population-level improvements.

Chris Davies, Principal and CEO at The Institute of Clinical Science and Technology, said: “Unfortunately, chronic diseases are common and expensive. Right now, £7 in every £10 of UK health and social expenditure goes toward chronic disease management, so it’s time for a new approach. We are delighted to work alongside NHS Wales in transitioning from traditional healthcare delivery to a patient-driven, digital-first model that eases the pressure on the healthcare system and future-proofs the NHS. This approach enables individuals across large populations to have better agency, better empowerment and more confidence when they navigate their health.”

Co-produced with patients, policymakers and clinical experts from within stakeholder groups, including the National Respiratory Audit Programme (NRAP), Asthma and Lung UK (ALUK), NHS Wales and NHS England, the toolkit uses the proven COM-B (Capability, Opportunity, Motivation-Behaviour) model to drive behaviour change. The app provides tailored support, including a personalised care plan and progress tracking, to help individuals manage their health.

The toolkit is expanding to other disease groups, offering a scalable model to meet rising care demand without overburdening healthcare professionals.

Members of the Respiratory Health Improvement Group (RHIG) in Wales will outline how the successful outcomes were achieved across Wales during a webinar on 13 March, chaired by Dr Lia Ali, Clinical Advisor, NHS Transformation Directorate for NHS England. Join the National Transformation of Respiratory Outcomes through Digital Therapeutics event by registering to attend here.

Millions to benefit from expanded Universal Care Plan, improving choice and care

By Integrated Care Journal

The expansion of the Universal Care Plan will see new planning sections added for patients with dementia, frailty, learning disabilities and autism, boosting choice and personalised care for patients in the capital.

Millions of patients across London will now receive improved, personalised healthcare as part of a major expansion of the Universal Care Plan (UCP), a shared care planning solution powered by Better. The move marks a major step towards a more holistic, personalised approach to healthcare planning, ensuring patients receive coordinated care that aligns with their individual needs, preferences, and goals.

Enhancing care for more patients

The expansion beyond the UCP’s initial focus on end-of-life and palliative care planning introduces new care planning sections for patients with dementia, frailty, learning disabilities, and autism. It also includes enhanced support for children and young people, as well as contingency planning for carers. This follows an earlier expansion to support people with sickle cell disease.

“This latest expansion moves us beyond disease-specific planning to a truly personalised care and support plan, where what matters to a patient is just as important as what is the matter with them,” said Nick Tigere, Head of the UCP Programme.

Improving patient outcomes and NHS efficiency

The UCP has already demonstrated success in improving outcomes for end-of-life care patients, with 70 per cent achieving their preferred place of death, compared to the national average of 50-55 per cent. Additionally, unplanned hospital admissions are reduced to 30 per cent, significantly lower than the national average of 46 per cent.

By providing a single, integrated care plan, the UCP streamlines care for patients with multiple long-term conditions, ensuring a more coordinated approach across services. This helps to free up NHS resources, reduce hospital admissions, and create capacity for elective procedures, ultimately supporting the NHS’s strategic goal of delivering more care outside of hospital settings.

“Where patients have a UCP, we see fewer unnecessary hospital admissions and a greater likelihood of receiving care in their preferred location. This supports both patient choice and NHS capacity,” said Nick Tigere.

The UCP integrates with social care, care homes, acute care, community hospices, and primary care to ensure seamless information sharing across healthcare providers. It is also connected to the London Care Record, enhancing accessibility for healthcare professionals across different settings, and the National Record Locator, enabling the care plans of Londoners and patients seen in London to be accessed nationwide.

Empowering patients through digital access

As part of the expansion, patients can now view their care plans via the NHS App, with plans to introduce editing functionality in spring 2025. This will allow individuals to update their non-clinical information, such as personal preferences and daily routines, reducing the burden on clinicians while empowering patients to take an active role in their care.

Dr Francesca Leithold, Global Service Delivery Director at Better, highlighted the importance of accessibility in this expansion: “The restructure of the forms is intended to create a clearer interface, structuring information in a better way. Making the care plan editable for patients over the next two quarters will enhance patient engagement and autonomy.”

Additionally, an upcoming GP Connect integration is set to enhance clinical safety by ensuring automatic access to GP medication and allergy records, reducing duplication and administrative workload for healthcare providers.

A future-focused approach to care

The UCP expansion follows a thorough evaluation process assessing digital maturity, readiness, and business case feasibility. The primary aim is to ensure that more Londoners have access to personalised, accessible care plans.

“This expansion marks a significant milestone in the evolution of the Universal Care Plan,” added Dr Leithold. “It demonstrates our commitment to making personalised care plans accessible to more people, providing tailored support that adapts to the needs of every individual. By expanding the scope of the UCP, we are empowering patients, improving outcomes, and supporting a healthcare system that’s more efficient and responsive to the diverse needs of the public.”