Millions Poured into NHS IT Overhaul, Yet Few GP Practices Sign On
The National Health Service (NHS) has reportedly spent upwards of £20 million in a significant push to encourage GP surgeries across England to adopt new IT software. However, a recent investigation reveals that a mere handful of practices have actually committed to updating their patient record-keeping systems, raising serious questions about the efficacy and value for money of the initiative.
Launched in 2022, the Tech Innovation Framework was heralded as a game-changer, aiming to inject innovation and choice into the GP IT landscape. The stated goal was to break the long-standing dominance of a few large software providers by opening the door for smaller, more agile companies to offer their patient record systems. The premise was that increased competition would not only drive innovation but also potentially lead to cost reductions.
However, instead of achieving these ambitious objectives, the scheme has been widely criticised as a “waste of money” following revelations about its meagre uptake. Despite the substantial investment in promoting the new systems, the number of GP practices that have fully adopted them remains strikingly low.
Details unearthed through a Freedom of Information request have shed light on the financial outlay. NHS England, the primary body behind the framework, accounted for more than half of the scheme’s total cost, with a staggering £13.2 million allocated to salaries for its internal staff and external contractors over the project’s three-year duration.
Furthermore, significant sums were disbursed as “discovery” payments. These were essentially incentives, amounting to £20,000, offered to GP practices simply for engaging with and receiving information about the new IT systems. A notable portion of this funding, £1.5 million, was directed towards 79 surgeries participating in a trial involving the IT firm Medicus.
A Disappointing Return on Investment
The results of this trial proved particularly disheartening. Despite the financial enticement, only four of the 79 surgeries that received the “discovery” payments ultimately installed Medicus’s patient data system. This translates to a success rate of just 5 per cent, highlighting a stark disconnect between the investment and the tangible outcomes.
Beyond these initial engagement payments, further funds were allocated to different stages of the IT adoption process. An additional £686,000 was spent on “pre-deployment” activities at eight surgeries, while a comparatively modest £490,000 was allocated for the actual installation of the systems. Medicus itself received £1.4 million from the broader scheme. In total, four IT firms involved in the framework collectively received £5.5 million.
Criticism Mounts Over Spending and Scrutiny
The expenditure has drawn sharp criticism from various quarters. Dennis Reed, spokesperson for the older people’s campaign group Silver Voices, labelled the initiative a “waste of money.” He also raised concerns about the thoroughness of the vetting and scrutiny processes applied to the companies involved, especially given the sensitive nature of confidential patient records.
Echoing these sentiments, Tory MP Joe Robertson, a member of the Health and Social Care Select Committee, expressed his dismay at the limited number of surgeries that appeared to have benefited from the scheme. He stated, “The scale of spending involved will raise serious questions. When significant public funds are committed yet only a handful of sites appear to be live, taxpayers are entitled to expect a clear explanation of what has been delivered and what patients have gained in return.”
Robertson further questioned the strategic priorities of introducing additional IT systems into general practice at a time when many GPs are grappling with existing systems that struggle to communicate with each other across the wider NHS. He emphasised that the issue extends beyond mere cost, stressing the paramount importance of data security and governance when introducing new providers into the realm of sensitive patient medical records.
Medicus: A New Entrant in the GP IT Market
Medicus, one of the IT firms participating in the framework, was established in 2019 by Emile Axelrad, a former City trader. The company positions itself as the “first new GP system in 25 years” and touts its use of a “latest cloud-based system.” Axelrad, who previously worked in IT services for the education sector, founded Medicus with former colleague Tim Gray. Their most recent financial disclosures indicate that Medicus employed 14 individuals in 2024 and held a valuation of £2.7 million.
Axelrad has sought to reassure stakeholders about Medicus’s capabilities, highlighting the firm’s commitment to “interoperability” with other NHS systems. He asserted that his company’s system has undergone “rigorous assurance and audit processes” and stressed their serious approach to patient confidentiality and information governance, noting that Medicus operates under the same regulatory and contractual framework as other established NHS GP IT system suppliers.
The Department of Health and Social Care was approached for comment regarding these findings.
