Recommendation 10

The Department, NHSX and NHS Digital told us that the COVID-19 outbreak had shown how quickly and efficiently the NHS can introduce new IT services and adapt to new technologies.15 This view was echoed by NHS Providers, which told us in its written evidence that the pandemic had resulted in many trusts accelerating their digital plans, including by increasing remote consultations and improving the way data is captured and used. The Nuffield Trust also told us that there had been a surge in patients’ uptake of remote health services, including using the NHS app, NHS login and e-prescription services.16 NHS Digital told us that the pandemic was showing that the NHS could be more ambitious than it had been in the NHS Long-Term Plan and get more effective at sharing data across the system. It explained that, as a result, it was more confident in the potential for the digitisation of the system than it had ever been previously.17 Governance and accountability arrangements