As the NHS prepares to embrace its second major strategic shift – from analogue to digital – Darwin Group reflects on the critical enablers that will determine the success of this transformation.

While digital tools and AI-powered diagnostics hold promise, their impact will be limited without the right infrastructure and workforce to support them.

The challenge we raised

In our submission to the NHS 10-Year Plan consultation, we highlighted a fundamental barrier: the current NHS estate is not built for digital innovation. Many facilities are decades old, with:

• Poor connectivity
• Inadequate space for digital installations
• Energy inefficiencies that hinder the integration of smart technologies

These limitations make deploying even basic digital tools, let alone advanced AI diagnostics or remote monitoring systems, challenging.

What’s changed since then?

The 2025 Spending Review confirmed a record £10 billion investment in NHS technology and digital transformation, representing a 50% increase in the NHS tech budget.

This funding will support:

• The rollout of electronic patient records (EPRs) across all secondary care trusts
• Investment in foundational infrastructure such as data networks, hosting, and end-user devices
• Expansion of shared care records to integrate patient information across services.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has called on the NHS to prioritise and embrace digital integration to promote greater efficiency within the system, and this is already having an impact, with digitally mature trusts already showing 13% higher efficiency than their peers.

The role of agile infrastructure

Modular healthcare facilities are a key enabler of digital transformation. They offer:

• Future-ready environments built to current safety and energy standards
• Adaptable layouts that evolve with emerging technologies
• Rapid deployment using modern, off-site construction methods

These facilities are not just spaces – they are platforms for innovation, enabling the NHS to deliver digitally enhanced care closer to home.

Looking ahead: What we hope to see in the 10-Year Health Plan

As the NHS finalises its 10-Year Health Plan, we hope to see:

• A unified infrastructure-tech strategy: Digital transformation must be underpinned by a clear plan for future-ready estates. Modular facilities can be the physical foundation for digital care delivery.
• Investment in digital-ready environments: Capital funding should support the development of smart, connected spaces that can accommodate evolving technologies, from diagnostics to remote monitoring and virtual wards.
• Space for hybrid models of care: As remote consultations become a core part of patient pathways, facilities with quiet, private consultation rooms can support safe and effective patient interactions.

The shift from analogue to digital is not just about software; it’s about creating the right conditions for innovation to thrive. Agile, modular infrastructure is essential to that vision.

Darwin Group stands ready to partner with NHS Trusts, ICSs, and local authorities to deliver the infrastructure needed for a more agile and patient-centred health system.