240 NHS Hospital IT Leaders Cite Delayed Procurement, Interoperability Concerns, and Vendor Reevaluation as System Restructuring Looms
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM / ACCESS Newswire / April 17, 2025 / A newly released survey conducted by Black Book Research reflects growing attention among UK healthcare leaders to the potential impact of NHS restructuring on digital health planning-specifically, the procurement and use of electronic patient record (EPR) systems. The findings are based on responses from 240 senior decision-makers in NHS hospitals and Integrated Care Systems (ICSs),
Respondents shared expectations on how decentralization or system reform could shift decision-making authority, affect current vendor relationships, and influence future EPR priorities.
"Black Book continues to monitor the UK's rapidly evolving health IT environment as EPR modernization intersects with broader NHS restructuring efforts. As a neutral source of intelligence, we're capturing how both healthcare providers and technology vendors are recalibrating in real time-responding to policy uncertainty with an emphasis on agility, interoperability, and digital infrastructure readiness," said Doug Brown, founder of Black Book Research.
NHS Structural Shifts and EPR Planning
85% of NHS executives said they expect to reassess or renegotiate their current EPR contracts if centralized NHS procurement is altered.
78% anticipate increased autonomy for ICSs and trusts in selecting health IT platforms under a decentralized or privatized model.
90% acknowledged that their current EPR systems were selected under national or regional standardization mandates, rather than tailored to local operational workflows.
92% of those using legacy platforms (e.g., Cerner Millennium) reported that their systems may not align with potential changes in care delivery models.
EPR Capabilities Prioritized Under Reform Scenarios
88% identified multi-tenant, cloud-based EPR platforms as a top priority due to lower infrastructure requirements and greater scalability.
96% said EPR systems with integrated administrative modules-such as scheduling, billing, and patient communications-would be increasingly important.
91% emphasized the importance of open APIs and interoperability features to ensure continuity across a fragmented healthcare environment.
68% indicated a preference for short deployment timelines and reduced reliance on external implementation consultants.
Interoperability and Integration Concerns
91% believe that maintaining system interoperability would become more difficult if NHS Digital oversight were removed or weakened.
96% expressed concern about ensuring data continuity across disparate systems without a unified national framework.
79% said they would need to expand their internal IT teams or capabilities to manage data exchange independently.
Procurement and Planning Activity
90% reported delaying or reevaluating current health IT procurement decisions due to uncertainty surrounding NHS structural reforms.
50% indicated that they are currently exploring alternative EPR vendors.
94% said that they would need to develop new vendor evaluation criteria if NHS technology compliance frameworks were no longer in effect.
These survey results are published as part of The 2025 Black Book of Global Healthcare IT, which features insights from national health systems on digital health readiness, interoperability, and EHR/EPR adoption.
About Black Book
Black Book is an independent healthcare research organization conducting client experience surveys and vendor evaluations without sponsorship, nominations, gated subscriptions, or financial involvement. Its findings reflect firsthand feedback from verified users across provider, payer, and health system environments.
For media inquiries, contact: research@blackbookmarketresearch.com
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SOURCE: Black Book Research
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