The state of NHS England has become a critical concern for both policymakers and the public alike.
With patient satisfaction at an all-time low, there is an urgent call for systemic reforms to ensure that the NHS continues to provide essential care.
As The Rt Hon. Professor Lord Darzi’s Independent Investigation of the National Health Service in England outlines:
“The NHS is in serious trouble… we need it when we are suffering from mental distress or hurting from physical pain, and for all the times when care and compassion matter most.”
The findings of Lord Darzi’s report highlight pressing challenges: workforce shortages, growing health inequalities, and an increasing demand for long-term care.
Addressing these concerns, Lord Darzi emphasises that rebuilding public trust must begin with transparency, stating that “The first step to rebuilding public trust is to be completely honest about where it stands.”
The health tech industry has long been hailed as a potential lifeline for the NHS, offering innovations such as artificial intelligence, telemedicine, and digital health platforms that could revolutionise patient access and care coordination.
But as Andreas Cleve, CEO and Co-Founder of Corti, points out, these technologies can also help relieve the immense pressure the system faces.
“Lord Darzi’s report will once again bring to light the uncomfortable truth of UK healthcare: the NHS is under immense, unsustainable pressure.
“It is a system weighed down by an overwhelming demand and capacity imbalance, the lasting impacts of the pandemic, a spiralling backlog of delayed treatments, and a workforce stretched to its breaking point.
“Yet, as Streeting says, the NHS is ‘broken, not beaten.’
“To turn the tide, we need a bold, strategic vision focused on sustained investment in both infrastructure and groundbreaking technology,” says Cleve.
For Cleve, artificial intelligence represents an opportunity to reshape healthcare by automating repetitive administrative tasks, which often burden healthcare professionals.
AI has the power to rebuild healthcare from its foundations, starting from the very first moment a patient seeks help.
“As Lord Darzi and many others have championed, AI is the key to turning the challenges the NHS faces into opportunities.
“By automating burdensome tasks like documentation, coding and quality assurance, AI can free healthcare professionals to do what they do best—care for patients,” Cleve explains.
“The potential is already clear: reduced administrative load, sharper clinical decisions, and smarter resource allocation.
“But for AI to fulfil its promise, it must be embraced as part of a well-thought-out, long-term strategy. It needs to be trusted, precise, and seamlessly integrated into existing systems.”
Scott Fletcher, CEO of Real World Health, echoes this sentiment, emphasising that effective change requires more than technology alone.
Fletcher believes that health tech must also play a role in addressing systemic issues highlighted in the Darzi Report, particularly in areas like mental health.
“The Darzi report lays bare the severity of the children’s mental health crisis.
“The combination of raids on capital budgets (including tech) and throwing money and people at the problem isn’t working.
“The real solution lies in fixing flow, understanding the whole pathway and making what we already have work better together,” he says.
Fletcher argues that technology can help transform how community services operate, providing better insights and evidence to inform decisions around funding and care.
“It’s time to reimagine how we provide care upstream, where primary care, education, social care and mental health teams are all connected and have visibility of the whole system.
“Technology is imperative in giving us better insights into children’s treatment journeys.
“Importantly, it can help us understand what works and provide evidence that we can safely shift funds from costly inpatient care into effective community care,” he explains.
Both leaders agree that trust will be key to the success of health tech adoption within the NHS.
As Fletcher puts it, “One of the first things health tech innovators need to do is overturn fear and scepticism around using tech to help the NHS out of this situation… though there are perhaps questions that need answering around data solutions, if these cannot be resolved, we could miss out on a game changer for improving care.”
Fletcher highlights the need for transparency and partnership with healthcare professionals:
“We need to work on rebuilding trust by partnering with healthcare professionals to create solutions that genuinely work, being honest about limitations, and building a strong culture of data engagement.
“By doing this, we can change mindsets, lay the groundwork for adopting more advanced tools, and move towards that key goal of a more proactive, preventative healthcare model.”
Cleve agrees, noting that AI must be seen not as a threat but as a tool to “amplify the skills of healthcare professionals without adding to their burdens.”
For AI and digital tools to deliver on their potential, there must be a long-term, strategic vision.
The Darzi Report has made clear the realities facing the NHS today. However, leaders from the health tech sector are optimistic that the right blend of technology and transparency can provide the solutions the NHS needs.
As these innovations take root, the focus must be on integrating them thoughtfully, rebuilding public trust, and shifting the model of care toward a more proactive, preventative approach.
Only then can we safeguard the future of the NHS and ensure it continues to serve the public for generations to come.
