South Tyneside and Sunderland Highlights RPA for GP Referrals
South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust reports that robotic process automation (RPA) has accelerated GP referral handling, with 77% of patients receiving planned treatment within 18 weeks—well above the 63.5% national average. Digital workers now make referrals available to clinical teams within 24‑48 hours, cutting wait times dramatically. The trust also introduced faster digital appointment‑booking systems and newer diagnostic technologies. These gains echo a wider NHS push toward AI, highlighted by a new $635 million UK sovereign AI fund and successful pilots at other trusts.
West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals Shares Latest on AI Projects, UTC Integration, EPR Optimisation
West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust reported significant digital advances at its May board meeting, including the digitisation of ambulance handovers and the rollout of Cerner for its urgent treatment centre. The trust completed its HYDE ambient‑voice AI contract and...
East of England Adult Critical Care Network Partners with Mela Solutions on Analytics Project
The East of England Adult Critical Care Network has teamed up with analytics firm Mela Solutions to launch a shared data platform. The system now contains over 220,000 admissions and 1.2 million assessment days, and early analysis shows a notable reduction...
Government Call for Evidence to Inform Mental Health Strategy for England
The UK government has opened a call for evidence to shape a new mental health strategy for England, chaired by Professor Peter Fonagy. The consultation seeks practical examples, digital and AI innovations, and data‑driven approaches to shift services toward earlier,...
£2 Million Awarded to 20 International Teams Harnessing AI to Develop Treatments for ALS
The Longitude Prize on ALS has allocated £2 million (≈$2.5 million) to 20 international teams that will use artificial intelligence on the largest ALS patient dataset ever assembled. The dataset includes genomic sequences from roughly 9,000 patients, enabling AI models to hunt...
Up to £20 Million National Funding for Referrals and Appointments Opens
NHS England has opened a national funding round of up to £20 million (≈$25 million) for 2026/27 to boost the Booking and Referral Standard, e‑Referral Service and NHS App. The money can be used to scale PIFU pathways, AI‑driven notifications, messaging and...
InterSystems Connects Medicus GP Systems Within West Midlands Shared Care Record
InterSystems UKI has integrated the Medicus GP platform into the West Midlands Shared Care Record, marking the first large‑scale deployment of a next‑generation primary‑care system within an NHS Integrated Care System. The rollout follows Doctolib’s £100 million (~$127 million) investment to accelerate...
HTN Now Panel Discuss AI in Primary Care, Covering Challenges, Adoption, Governance, Literacy and Successes
HTN Now hosted a webinar where a panel of experts from Tandem Health, a GP practice, and Nottingham & Nottinghamshire ICB discussed AI adoption in primary care. They highlighted the rapid rollout of Tandem’s medical AI assistant—now in roughly 97%...
NHS Modernisation and Regulation for Growth Bills Outlined in King’s Speech
The King’s Speech introduced the NHS Modernisation Bill, which will dissolve NHS England, trim central bureaucracy and launch a Single Patient Record that merges health and social‑care data for maternity and frailty patients by 2028. It also proposes restructuring Integrated...
Kingston and Richmond NHS Plans Ambient Voice Roll Out and New EPR
Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust announced a phased rollout of ambient voice technology (AVT) across its emergency department and outpatient gastro‑enterology and gynaecology services, with later phases extending to additional specialties and community care. The trust is also advancing...
Australian Budget Looks to Advance Interoperability and Promote Sharing of Health Data
The 2026 Australian Federal Budget earmarks AUD 598.3 million (≈ USD 395 million) over two years to upgrade the My Health Record platform, alongside AUD 79.2 million (≈ USD 52 million) for state‑level digital health reforms. A further AUD 2 billion (≈ USD 1.32 billion) will fund the Thriving Kids programme and a new National...
Google Health App Launches with Ability to Connect Apps, Devices, and Medical Records to Offer “Comprehensive View” Of Health
Google has rebranded the Fitbit app as Google Health, adding four dedicated tabs—Today, Fitness, Sleep and Health—to deliver a unified view of wellness data. The platform pulls information from wearables, third‑party apps, Apple Health, and Health Connect, and now lets...
Join Us in May for HTN Now and Hear From Inspiring Panellists Sharing Their Insights, Projects, Learnings, and Perspectives
HTN is hosting a free online webinar series for NHS professionals in May, featuring three panels on AI in primary care (13 May), the NHS 10‑year health plan (19 May), and the digital patient journey (20 May). Each session brings together senior clinicians,...
Epic Founder and CEO Judy Faulkner Shares Insights on 50 Year Journey in YouTube Interview
Epic founder and CEO Judy Faulkner reflected on the company’s near‑50‑year evolution in electronic health records during a YouTube interview with Katie Couric. She traced her early coding days, the shift from paper charts to digital systems, and how being a...
NHS Scotland Notes Intent to Explore Options for Multi-Channel Remote Health Monitoring Solution
NHS Scotland has issued a prior information notice to explore a multi‑channel remote health monitoring and communication solution, with a formal contract notice slated for July 2026. The agency is conducting a soft market test, asking suppliers to complete a questionnaire...
HTN Now Panel Share Their Learnings, Experiences, and Insights with Ambient Voice Technology
A panel of senior clinicians from The Dudley Group, Sandwell and West Birmingham and the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire and Leicester discussed their ambient voice technology (AVT) pilots. Both organisations progressed from early 2024 research to multi‑supplier pilots in 2025,...
Doctolib Plans for £100m UK Investment Into Digital Primary Care Acquiring Medicus
Doctolib announced a £100 million (≈$125 million) investment to acquire UK digital‑health firm Medicus, creating a 150‑person R&D centre in London. The partnership will combine Medicus’s NHS primary‑care expertise with Doctolib’s AI platform, which already serves over 40,000 European GPs. The move...
South West Yorkshire Partnership Updates and Next Steps for Electronic Prescribing
South West Yorkshire Partnership Teaching NHS Foundation Trust reported that its electronic medication chart (EPMA) has gone live at Cheswold Park Hospital, replacing paper charts and boosting patient safety. The trust outlined a 12‑month, three‑phase plan to roll out the...
Australian Digital Health Agency Notes Progress in Delivery of National Healthcare Interoperability Plan
The Australian Digital Health Agency announced that 75% of the 44 actions in its National Healthcare Interoperability Plan have been completed as of the January‑March 2026 quarter. Two domains—innovation and benefits—are fully finished, while standards are 93% complete, leaving only...
Nottinghamshire Healthcare Procures £725k Patient-Focused Intranet and Internet Solution
Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has awarded a £725,000 (~$925,000) contract to Made Purple Limited to deliver a patient‑focused intranet and internet service aimed at reducing digital deprivation. The platform will enable patients to acquire new skills, research health information,...
NHS England Seeks Market Engagement on End-to-End Diagnostic Testing Pathways for NHS Online
NHS England has issued a preliminary market engagement notice to assess the feasibility of end‑to‑end diagnostic testing pathways for its upcoming NHS Online virtual hospital service. The engagement will inform a future commercial contract valued at roughly £160,000 (about $200,000)...
HTN Now: Sharing Best Practices From Success in Health Tech for NHS Trusts
Health tech leaders from the NHS and Restore Information Management gathered to discuss best practices in digital transformation. They highlighted successes such as moving 500,000 patient records to digital platforms, deploying ambient voice technology that added 1,200 notes in a...
International News in Brief: IVF Pregnancy Achieved with “Fully Autonomous” System, Prince Edward Island AVT Pilot, Amazon Weight Management Programme
A health‑tech startup, BAIBYS, announced a first‑trimester pregnancy achieved with its fully autonomous AI‑driven system that selects and isolates sperm cells for IVF, cutting procedure time dramatically. In Canada, Prince Edward Island joins a national AI‑scribe pilot that promises clinicians...
Digital Inclusion Delivery Framework for Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB Outlines Priority Themes and Roadmap to 2030
The Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board released a Digital Inclusion Delivery Framework that sets out a unified vision to close digital gaps by 2030. It focuses on five priority themes—connectivity, accessibility, workforce skills, partnerships, and expertise—and mandates digital inclusion...
Blackpool Teaching Hospitals Goes Live with eObservations and Bleep System Replacement
Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has gone live with eObservations in its emergency department, enabling clinicians to capture vital signs on iPads and view results instantly. At the same time, the trust replaced its ageing bleep system with Alertive,...
University Hospitals Plymouth to Hold 90-Day Go-Live Event Ahead of Epic Launch
University Hospitals Plymouth (UHP) NHS Trust will run a 90‑day go‑live rehearsal beginning 28 April 2026, ahead of its full Epic electronic patient record launch on 23 July 2026. The trust is rolling out mandatory digital‑literacy training and early super‑user programs, borrowing...
Feature: Strengthening Patient Understanding Through Digital Consent and Patient Information
Radar Healthcare’s Digital Consent platform replaces paper‑based forms with regulated, electronic workflows, delivering consistent, auditable patient consent. The solution pairs with EIDO Patient Information, a standardized library endorsed by the High Court and Royal Colleges, to provide clear, multi‑language content....
NIHR Innovation Programme Offers Funding for Preventative Technologies in Community Care
The NIHR Invention for Innovation Funding at the Speed of Translation (FAST) programme is offering grants of £50,000‑£100,000 (≈$62,500‑$125,000) over six to twelve months for preventative technologies in community care. The funding targets solutions that can be integrated into neighbourhood...
Smart T-Shirt Piloted at Leicester to Support Diagnosis of Breathing Pattern Disorders
A pilot in Leicester is testing Atride’s Anasa® Smart Shirt, a wearable t‑shirt that embeds nanotech sensors to continuously monitor breathing patterns. The device’s data will be benchmarked against the current gold‑standard motion‑capture photography to assess accuracy for diagnosing breathing...
Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB Procures Ambient Scribing and Reporting Tool
Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB has awarded Beam Up Ltd a £87,500 (≈ $112,000) contract for its AI‑powered ambient scribing solution, Magic Notes, running through March 2027. The tool, classified as a Class 1 medical device, provides unlimited user access, real‑time...
US Department of Health and Human Services Launches $4million National Competition for Innovations in Living Kidney Donation
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has launched the KidneyX Empower Challenge, a $4 million national competition aimed at spurring innovations that increase living kidney donation. The contest seeks solutions that improve public awareness, donor identification, eligibility, outcomes and reduce...
NHS England Publishes £37million and £19million Future Opportunities for Digital Delivery Partners
NHS England has released two pipeline notices for digital delivery partners, allocating roughly £19 million (about $24 million) for a two‑year DevOps services contract starting late September 2026, and an additional £37 million (about $47 million) for a three‑year urgent‑and‑emergency‑care digital programme beginning August...
Voice Therapy App Improving Outcomes for Parkinson’s Patients at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton
University Hospitals of Derby and Burton introduced a voice‑therapy app for Parkinson’s patients, enabling home‑based exercises after an initial in‑person assessment. The pilot saved 14‑17 hours of clinical time each month, equivalent to six extra therapy slots per week, and...
Tees, Esk and Wear Talking Therapies Improvement Challenge Highlights Steps to Improve Uptake of Digital
Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust completed a 100‑day improvement challenge aimed at boosting confidence among adults 65+ in using digital talking‑therapies. Over 240 seniors participated, with 96% reporting regular use of phones, tablets or laptops. Video‑based therapy...
Register for HTN Now Webinars, Covering AVT in Trusts, Digital Patient Pathways, AI in Primary Care, 10 Year Plan From...
HTN is launching a series of free, online webinars for NHS professionals that run from late April through May. Each session deep‑dives into a specific digital‑health topic, from ambient‑scribe AI and paperless NHS initiatives to AI in primary care and...
National Commission Into the Regulation of AI in Healthcare Offers Early Insights From Call for Evidence
The UK National Commission into the Regulation of AI in Healthcare released early findings from a call for evidence that attracted more than 770 responses, underscoring strong public demand for regulatory reform. Deputy chair Henrietta Hughes emphasized trust, post‑market surveillance,...
Data, Digital, and Experiences Outlined in Renewed Women’s Health Strategy for England
The UK government has released a renewed Women’s Health Strategy for England, pledging faster gynecology appointments, expanded digital tools, and community‑based care. Key initiatives include a virtual NHS Online hospital for menstrual and menopause pathways, a Single Patient Record in...
North West Ambulance Service Strategy Focuses on Digital and Data to 2031
The North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) NHS Trust released a 2031 strategy centered on digital and data innovation to improve care coordination, clinical decision support, and demand insight. To date, the trust has rolled out real‑time safety dashboards, Power BI performance...
NIH-Supported Study Develops AI Algorithm Trained on EHR Data to Predict Rare Disease
A NIH‑supported study unveiled the WEakly Supervised Transformer (WEST), an AI model that can predict rare diseases using noisy, incomplete electronic health record data. Tested on pulmonary hypertension and severe asthma, WEST outperformed all baseline models in identifying clinician‑confirmed cases....
Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber Shares Digital Plans as IT Becomes “Largest Single Expenditure of Capital” For First Time in...
RDaSH NHS Foundation Trust announced that IT will be its largest capital expenditure for 2026/27, with more than £11 million (≈$13.8 million) earmarked through 2029/30. The plan covers firewall, server, telephony, backup hardware, anti‑virus and endpoint upgrades, alongside a move to a...
Hospital at Home Evaluation Shows 80 Percent Cost Savings at West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals
West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals reported an 80% cost reduction for its Hospital at Home (HAH) program, saving £1.33 million (~$1.7 million) over a 12‑month period. The virtual care model cost $150 per bed day versus $723 for inpatient stays, cutting average length...
Liverpool University Hospitals Announces 10-Year EPR Supplier
Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has inked a 10‑year, £53 million (~$68 million) agreement with Nervecentre to deploy its electronic patient record (EPR) across Aintree, Broadgreen and Royal Liverpool hospitals. The deal brings roughly 1,600 beds onto a single, integrated digital...
Neighbourhood Oncology Programme at The Christie Makes Move to Digitally-Enabled and Neighbourhood-Based System of Care
The Christie NHS Foundation Trust unveiled a neighbourhood oncology programme that shifts cancer treatment toward digitally‑enabled, home‑ and community‑based care. The initiative plans to expand systemic anti‑cancer therapy at home from the current 1,300 patients to over 5,000, using opt‑out...
Kent Community Health NHS to Procure MSK Physiotherapy AI Service
Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust announced plans to procure a UK‑based musculoskeletal (MSK) physiotherapy service powered by artificial intelligence. The hybrid solution will blend AI‑driven triage and assessment with virtual appointments from HCPC‑registered physiotherapists, and must be a Class IIa...
Feature: Why Quality of Care Still Depends on Robust Print Security
HP highlights that printer downtime during cyber incidents can cripple NHS clinical workflows, as seen in the Synnovis attack that delayed over 11,000 appointments. Because many trusts acquire printers piecemeal, firmware and security settings become inconsistent, making devices easy entry...
Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS FT Sets Out Digital Delivery Goals and Priorities for 2026/27
Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust outlined its 2026/27 digital delivery roadmap, emphasizing data‑driven community health, home‑based technology, and staff productivity. The plan pivots on an electronic patient record, a federated data platform, and positioning the NHS App as...
Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICB Awards Contract for Digital MSK Self-Management
The Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board (ICB) has awarded a two‑year, £206,692 (≈ $263,000) contract to getUBetter for a digital musculoskeletal (MSK) self‑management platform. The app, a Class 1 medical device certified by DTAC, will be embedded across...
DHSC Outlines Future of Fingertips Health Data Repository in £1.25m Contract
The UK Department of Health and Social Care has awarded a £1.25 million (≈ $1.59 million) contract to Marvell Consulting to build a public‑beta "Find Public Health Data" service that will replace the aging Fingertips platform. Hosted on Microsoft Azure, the new service...
NHS Grampian Highlights 12 Digital Priority Programmes for Delivery in 2026/27
NHS Grampian has mapped out twelve digital priority programmes for 2026/27, spanning the MyCare.scot front‑door portal, a national child health record, Microsoft 365, Windows 10 replacement, PACS and RIS imaging platforms, INFIX theatre scheduling, LIMS, GP IT and core infrastructure upgrades....
Volunteer Responder App Piloted Across 46 Community First Responder Schemes in Scotland
The Scottish Ambulance Service piloted a new volunteer responder app across 46 Community First Responder schemes from November 2025 to February 2026. The trial delivered a 36% increase in volunteer incident responses, equating to 786 more patients assisted, and saw...