Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
5th Report - NHS financial sustainability
Public Accounts Committee
HC 350
Published 29 January 2025
Government response
Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Fifth report from Session 2024-25 · published 16 May 2025
Recommendations & Conclusions
7
Conclusion
Rejected
Publish plans to reduce NHS paper reliance and set deadline to end fax machines.
Conclusion
Despite ambitions to improve productivity through the introduction of new technologies, the switch to digital in parts of the NHS has been glacially slow. Digital and technological improvements could have a transformative effect on the NHS. However, NHSE’s investment in …
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Government Response Summary
The government disagrees with the recommendation, arguing against providers being 'fully paperless' due to digital inclusion considerations. It reports that 91% of secondary care trusts have Electronic Patient Records, forecast to reach 96% by March 2026, and fax machines will be unusable by 2027 due to analogue switch-off.
HM Treasury
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26
Conclusion
Rejected
NHS still lacks consistent data infrastructure and technological maturity, delaying productivity gains.
Conclusion
We asked what was being done to improve productivity through the use of new technologies. NHSE told us the NHS currently lacks a consistent data infrastructure and that NHS providers varied in terms of their levels of technological maturity.50 NHSE …
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Government Response Summary
The government disagrees that providers should be fully paperless, stating that some patient communications must be sent by letter and outlines investment in national IT systems, EPRs and the NHS app.
HM Treasury
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