Mackey demands sign-off on disruptive tech deployments

Sir Jim Mackey and other national leaders are concerned that the disruption to appointments which often follows electronic patient record deployment will capsize elective performance, particularly during the busy winter period.

Several senior sources have confirmed to HSJ that NHS England’s transformation directorate is now required to make a recommendation on the readiness of trust and contractor teams, before Sir Jim makes the final decision.

One senior figure at the centre told HSJ: “While electronic records can have huge benefits, the reality is we as a system need to pull our fingers out, invest in the training, job planning and process re-engineering, and make sure we’re really seeing and feeling the benefit, not a productivity loss. And suppliers need to help make that true.”

A hospital CEO said Sir Jim had been “exceptionally clear that there can be no drop-off in activity or reporting” and that there was an “expectation of business as usual regardless of go-live”.

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Source: HSJ, 16 October 2025

Related reading on the hub:

• Electronic patient record systems: Putting patient safety at the heart of implementation
• NHS England warns electronic patient record could pose ‘serious risks to patient safety’: what can we learn?