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Putting People First in the Digital Shift

Reflections from National Voices at ABHI’s UK HealthTech Conference

 

I was delighted to join you at ABHI’s UK HealthTech Conference this month. As Chief Executive of National Voices, the country’s leading coalition of 200 health and care charities, this was an important opportunity to discuss the patient perspective on the NHS’s ‘three shifts’, and in particular, the journey from analogue to digital.

I began with an important reminder: patients are asking the NHS to get the basics right. Better appointment booking, joined-up records, and not having to repeat their story at every interaction remain core frustrations. And it is understandable that people struggle to believe the NHS can fully embrace cutting-edge technologies when one in five patients last year received their appointment letter after the appointment date.

Yet my message was not one of scepticism, far from it. The public want the NHS to adopt new technologies. Remote consultations continue to be highly popular, especially among those who struggle to travel. But early missteps, such as expecting people to wait by the phone all day or offering no clear follow-up pathway if a call was missed, undermined confidence and fed narratives that people did not want digital options at all.

During the pandemic, our work at National Voices, The Dr Will Zoom You Now, highlighted that digital tools must be designed with people, not simply deployed to them. The same principles remain essential today.

What Patients Want From HealthTech

I set out three clear expectations:

  1. Access that feels simple.
    Digital tools should make it easier to book appointments, order prescriptions, view results, and find tailored information, without additional effort or instruction. Progress is being made, particularly in secondary care, but we still need a critical eye to ensure technology genuinely reduces friction.

  2. Care that feels integrated.
    People want their information to follow them, allowing services to anticipate needs and avoid repeated assessments. The Shared Patient Record, linked contextual data, and integration of personal tech, such as wearables, offer real promise if implemented effectively.

  3. Technology that still feels human.
    Digital should not feel distant. I highlighted the opportunity for technology to enhance continuity, for example, proactively checking in on patients after a new medication and ensuring they can return to the same professional if further support is needed.

Crucially, people want reassurance that digital inclusion will not leave anyone behind. Skills, confidence and resources vary, and exclusion will shift over time. Systems must remain alert to this.

What Patients Don’t Want

I also offered two important cautions:

  • Speed without support.
    Instant access to test results without explanation can cause unnecessary anxiety. Just because technology can be fast does not mean it should be uncompassionate.

  • Being discouraged from using technology.
    Patients are already using AI and online tools extensively. Our task is not to restrict this, but to ensure it is safe, understood, and integrated into conversations about care.

Principles for a Better Digital Future

To maximise the benefits of technology, I outlined five principles:

  1. Design with, not for, patients. Engage people from the start and throughout the innovation lifecycle.

  2. Ensure diverse involvement. Designing only for the majority risks deepening inequalities. Solutions must work for those facing the greatest barriers.

  3. Integrate, don’t just digitise. A digital front door only works if the services behind it connect.

  4. Use data to prioritise. The digital shift is as much about making better decisions as it is about new tools.

  5. Empower people to participate. Digital inclusion means building confidence and partnering with community groups who support people in their daily lives.

A Human-First Digital Shift

I closed with a simple reflection: the NHS at its best is not digital-first, but human-first. Technology cannot replace empathy, but it can amplify it, giving clinicians back time, giving patients back confidence, and turning fragmented interactions into connected journeys of care. If we get this right, the shift from analogue to digital will do far more than modernise systems. It will transform lives.

Jacob Lant, CEO, National Voices

Click here for more information on the work of National Voices.

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