NHS greenlights first major GP IT overhaul amid tech lag
The NHS has approved its first new core IT system for general practice in a quarter of a century, in a move aimed at modernising primary care and reducing the administrative burden on staff.
Practices across England will now be able to adopt a new cloud-based patient record system from Medicus Health, with more suppliers expected to follow by 2026 under NHS England’s tech innovation framework.
The system, already live at four sites covering 42,000 patients, supports integrated care across settings like care homes and vaccination centres, and is optimised for use across multiple devices such as tablets – aiming to enable greater flexibility in frontline service delivery.
Dr Amanda Doyle, NHS England’s national director of primary care and community services, said: “This new generation of systems is the first shake-up of the GP IT market we have seen in a quarter of a century, and this shift will help unlock more modern, joined-up care for patients, and help our staff to work better and smarter.”
Dr Amar Ahmed, GP Partner at Wilmslow Health Centre – one of the early adopters – added: “I can access patient records instantly, making consultations smoother… Appointments are managed more smoothly, and our team communication has never been better. It’s the kind of efficiency that translates directly into patient care.”
Untapped gains
This overhaul comes at a critical juncture for the health service and wider public sector, which is still grappling with outdated systems and manual processes.
A survey of 1,000 public sector workers found that 94 per cent experienced inefficiencies when delivering citizen services.
The NHS, in particular, was identified as one of the hardest-hit institutions, with front-line staff frequently losing valuable time to manual data entry, outdated equipment, and a lack of integrated platforms.
Among the most common challenges were the need to access multiple systems for the same information, repetitive manual tasks, and inadequate training.
Nearly all respondents (91 per cent) also flagged difficulty adapting to changes in service demand and shifting government policies.
In the context of ongoing productivity demands, these inefficiencies have drawn sharp attention.
The government recently set a two per cent productivity target for public sector departments in its latest budget, identifying technology and automation as key enablers.
A Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, or DSIT, review estimated that digitising public sector services could unlock up to £45 billion in annual productivity gains.
“This makes digitisation the most powerful lever available to drive public sector and service reform,” the department said in its review.
Peter Corpe, UK public sector lead at Appian, said the momentum behind automation is now unavoidable. “AI adoption in the public sector is no longer a question of if but when. With millions of hours at stake, automating low-value admin tasks and resolving process inefficiencies offers the public sector a chance to work more efficiently. This means more time for the strategic and value-driven activities that directly impact citizen outcomes.”
Despite long-standing frustrations, sentiment is shifting. Nearly three-quarters of public sector workers said automation would make their jobs easier. Meanwhile, among those already using it, 95 per cent reported tangible benefits.
NHS England said it expects further GP IT systems that meet new national standards to become available by April 2026, offering alternatives to long-dominant providers such as EMIS Web and TPP SystmOne.
Medicus Health’s system is the first to fully implement five new national open standards, including for electronic prescriptions and referrals, and integrates with 24 core NHS services.
More than 25 Integrated Care Boards are already exploring adoption.