From analogue to digital: Building the connected NHS of tomorrow

The NHS is in the middle of one of the most significant digital transformations in its history.

The shift from analogue processes to fully connected, interoperable digital systems isn’t simply a technology upgrade — it’s a strategic restructuring of how care is delivered, coordinated and experienced.

As outlined in the NHS 10-Year Plan, accelerating digital transformation is fundamental to modernising services, reducing operational pressures, empowering the workforce and improving patient outcomes. But progress has been uneven. 

While some Trusts are advancing rapidly, others remain constrained by legacy systems, fragmented data and manual processes that create bottlenecks across acute, outpatient and community pathways.

To build a truly connected NHS, healthcare leaders need platforms that work across environments and integrate seamlessly with existing investments. SPARK Fusion® is designed to be that connective layer, strengthening interoperability, streamlining communication, reducing clinical admin and ensuring patients and staff experience healthcare as a joined-up continuum. Our role is to help Trusts, Integrated Care Boards and local systems bridge the gap between aspiration and implementation.

This article explores the strategic priorities behind the “analogue to digital” shift, the risks of continuing with fragmented systems and how SPARK Fusion® enables Trusts to build the digitally mature NHS envisioned in the 10-Year Plan.

The digital ambition of the NHS 10-Year Plan

The NHS 10-Year Plan sets out clear expectations for digital maturity and integration, aiming to create:

• Digitised, automated and interoperable services.
  
  
• A Single Patient Record (SPR): A unified record accessible across care settings.
  
  
• Improved data sharing and system-wide consistency.
  
  
• Reduced paperwork and manual administration.
  
  
• Technology-enabled pathways that optimise clinical time.
  
  
• Enhanced patient access through digital and mobile channels. The NHS app becomes a "front door" to services: Patient booking, referral, data access, advice and triage.
  
  

• A system-wide requirement for digital confidence and capability.
  
  
• Connected records and datasets.
  
  
• Real-time information for clinicians and patients.
  
  
• Adoption of automation and AI to improve workforce efficiency.

The shift to digital is therefore not optional. It is a national mandate, and Trusts that fail to progress risk compromising safety, experience and financial sustainability. Delay means locking in inefficiencies or being forced to retrofit change at greater cost.

Yet many organisations are still grappling with long-standing challenges.

The problem: an NHS still constrained by analogue processes

Despite widespread recognition of the need to modernise, analogue practices remain deeply embedded, often for structural or operational reasons.

1. Fragmented communication tools

Staff navigate different systems for switchboard communication, patient notes, outpatient management and internal coordination. This fragments information and slows decision-making.

2. Heavy administrative burden

Clinicians rely on paper-based processes, duplicated tasks and manual validation — diverting time away from patient care.

3. Limited interoperability

Legacy systems often operate in silos, blocking seamless data flow across acute, community, mental health and primary care settings.

4. Inconsistent digital access for patients

Patients encounter different digital tools or none at all. This inconsistency undermines trust and accessibility.

5. Staffing pressures and digital confidence gaps

The workforce is overstretched. New digital tools must reduce workload, not add complexity.

SPARK Fusion® is designed to unify and simplify the digital ecosystem for both staff and patients.

How SPARK Fusion® accelerates the shift from analogue to digital

SPARK Fusion® helps NHS Trusts move from fragmented, manual workflows to connected, accessible and automated digital pathways. The platform integrates communication, education, patient experience, analytics and service delivery into a single, flexible solution that adapts to the needs of different care settings.

Below, we explore key areas where SPARK Fusion® supports digital transformation.

1. Consolidating communication into a single, integrated platform

One of the biggest inefficiencies in analogue care is the number of disconnected communication methods. Staff often rely on:

• Switchboards
  
  
• Emails
  
  
• Paper notes
  
  
• Internal messaging platforms
  
  
• Discharge summaries in multiple formats
  
  

SPARK Fusion® centralises communication, offering:

• Real-time patient updates
  
  
• Secure staff communication
  
  
• Digital information sharing across teams
  
  
• Translation and interpreter tools
  
  
• Accessible formats for patients and families. The Integration layer and APIs enable this, HL7/FHIR connectivity to EPRs and data exchange across settings.

This reduces delays, administrative repetition and miscommunication.

2. Strengthening interoperability across existing NHS digital systems

Achieving a connected NHS requires systems to communicate with each other. SPARK Fusion® supports this by integrating with:

• Electronic Patient Record (EPR) systems
  
  
• Patient experience tools
  
  
• Appointment and outpatient platforms
  
  
• Remote monitoring solutions
  
  
• Digital front door services
  
  

By creating a cohesive ecosystem, Fusion® helps Trusts use their existing technology more effectively rather than replacing it. It’s the layer uniting EPR systems, patient apps and automation, highlighting its role in driving true connectivity, not just digitisation across Trusts.

3. Streamlining workflows and reducing administrative pressure

The NHS workforce is under enormous strain. Digitisation must remove the burden, not add to it.

SPARK Fusion® automates tasks such as:

• Sending patient instructions
  
  
• Delivering pre- and post-op education
  
  
• Collecting patient-reported experience measures (PREMs)
  
  
• Escalating risks or concerns
  
  
• Tracking patient interactions and outcomes
  
  
• Routing information to the right team

These digital automations release clinical time for direct patient care and support workforce wellbeing.

4. Powering a seamless digital front door for patients

Patients expect clarity, accessibility and consistency when navigating NHS services. SPARK Fusion® supports digital-first patient access by:

• Providing a clear entry point to relevant services
  
  
• Offering multilingual and accessible content
  
  
• Guiding patients through self-management and community-based care
  
  
• Reducing reliance on phone lines and manual triage

A unified digital front door helps reduce unnecessary hospital activity and supports the shift towards community-led care. This is achieved via the patient app and portal, enabling self-service bookings and triage questionnaires.

5. Creating consistent, accessible patient education

A digital NHS requires patients to be informed, confident and supported.

SPARK Fusion® delivers:

• Short, accessible education modules
  
  
• Procedure-specific guidance
  
  
• Recovery and rehabilitation content
  
  
• Safety and escalation information
  
  
• Videos, PDFs and interactive materials

This level of accessible information reduces risk, prevents deterioration and improves outcomes.

6. Enabling real-time insight and data-driven decision-making

Digital maturity requires analytics that drive operational, clinical and financial improvement.

SPARK Fusion® provides dashboards and insights on:

• Patient engagement
  
  
• Safety escalations
  
  
• Operational bottlenecks
  
  
• Resource demand
  
  
• Patient feedback trends
  
  

This enables Trusts to:

• Identify where processes fail
  
  
• Prioritise improvements
  
  
• Target workforce interventions
  
  
• Strengthen regulatory compliance — these real-time dashboards and analytics support process optimisation and predictive modelling.
  
  

7. Supporting innovation through flexibility and scalability

Digital transformation must evolve with the system. SPARK Fusion® is designed to support:

• AI-driven workflows
  
  
• Modular implementation across services
  
  
• Rapid deployment in acute, community and virtual settings
  
  
• Integration with future digital tools
  
  

This ensures Trusts can adopt innovation at their own pace while maintaining system-wide consistency.

A connected NHS is a safer, more sustainable NHS

Moving from analogue to digital isn’t just about replacing paper with screens. It’s about building a system where:

• Information flows seamlessly
  
  
• Clinicians receive support, not additional burden
  
  
• Patients are empowered and informed
  
  
• Care is coordinated across every setting
  
  
• Technology strengthens safety and quality
  
  

SPARK Fusion® helps the NHS achieve all of this — providing the digital foundation for the connected, integrated and sustainable healthcare system envisioned in the 10-Year Plan.

By bridging gaps between systems, empowering staff and ensuring patients have consistent access to high-quality digital resources, SPARK Fusion® enables a modern, resilient NHS ready to meet the challenges of the next decade.

If you’re ready to begin turning the 10-Year Plan vision into action today, download our guide for a practical roadmap for implementation, from pilot to system-wide scale.