University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust has outlined outcomes from pilots including a digital bot to contact patients waiting for appointments, and virtual reviews.
The trust shares that digital innovations have played a “critical role” in improving outpatient efficiency, with a focus on waiting list validation helping achieve a reduction of 10,000 in the overall patient tracking list. A pilot of a digital bot that automatically contacts patients on a waiting list when appointments or clinic slots become available at short notice is noted to have shown “initial promise” but hesitancy from patients around automated calls “due to phishing concerns”. With this in mind, digital teams will be introducing pre-call text alerts for patients in the next pilot of the technology in cancer and short-notice clinics.
Elsewhere, digital tools are being utilised as part of wider work to make improvements to theatre utilisation and productivity, with the “My Preop” tool streamlining preoperative assessments for patients. “Theatre utilisation has increased by 2.1 percent year-on-year, and 600 fewer patients were cancelled in the run up to their surgery in October,” UHDB states. “These improvements reduce reliance on premium solutions such as weekend working and insourcing.”
The OPTICA digital flow and discharge tool is also making an impact, according to the trust, with a 50 percent increase in usage since April 2025, and a two percent increase in the number of patients being discharged in the morning, improving bed availability for emergency arrivals. Moving forward, the aim is to double the average daily number of morning discharges.
In ophthalmology, the trust’s “most challenged area”, a pilot building on a GIRFT recommended model is using new diagnostic processes to support virtual reviews as a more efficient option for patients. It highlights the potential for waiting lists to be “significantly reduced” if adopted.
Looking ahead, the trust outlines an upcoming pilot on teledermatology for urgent suspected skin cancers, and the implementation of digital enablers to create efficiencies in patient administration. Work is underway on a new five-year digital strategy based on the 10-Year Plan and outcomes from consultation with staff.
Wider trend: NHS innovation
At the Institute for Government’s annual conference, Wes Streeting delivered a keynote speech on NHS reform, noting “modernisation can’t be dodged any longer”, setting out an approach to modernisation focused on empowering people, offering freedom to the frontline, shifting to prevention, using tech to support productivity, and spending taxpayers’ money with care.
The Somerset NHS Foundation Trust board in its latest meeting has shared key updates on plans for its EHR, ambient voice, electronic prescribing, and digital medicines. The EHR procurement has been completed, with rollout planned for 2028, the trust states. It notes that digital resilience “remains a concern” with interoperability and readiness for the EHR requiring “urgent attention”, and that progress is required on data strategy and ensuring alignment with system integration plans.
An annual safeguarding report from East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust has highlighted the role of digital in adult and children’s safeguarding, including the full digitalisation of s42 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, and the successful launch of a maternity EPR. A bespoke digital risk assessment tool has been developed and deployed by the trust’s safeguarding team in collaboration with a national working group and NHS England safeguarding lead, in unscheduled care settings. According to ENHT, the tool has been audited and returned “excellent” compliance rates along with an increase in recognition of child exploitation, and a 70 percent increase in referrals from 2022.
A HTN deep dive explored progress over the last 12 months around the use of AI in health and care, finding examples of AI strategies, policies, pilots, and more.
