£2.5bn tech programme dubbed ‘unachievable’

Successful delivery of NHS England’s £2.5bn Frontline Productivity programme “appears to be unachievable” due to governance failures and political uncertainty, according to a government review.

A review of the programme carried out by the government in July gave the programme a “red” confidence rating and concluded that “successful delivery is unlikely under the current operating arrangements”.

The review, which has never been published, found that the programme’s ambition of devolving delivery to regions was undermined by “ongoing restructuring” and “the desire for greater control from the centre”.

It said that achieving the programme’s aims was “predicated on a model of region-led delivery that has been overtaken by events, not least the significant reductions in capacity at regional level”, and that the model therefore requires “rapid recalibration”.

In a response provided within the report, NHSE director of frontline productivity Dermot Ryan said the “red” rating was “warranted” and acknowledged the need to “reset the operating model”, but said this “falls outside my powers”.

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Source: HSJ, 16 September 2026