Innovations in mobile technology and automation have created new pathways for smarter, more connected care. Our latest industry report revealed the UK’s healthcare sector is using AI more than ever before, with 94% of IT leaders saying it’s being used for patient care, up from 47% in 2024. Despite this advancement, many healthcare organisations continue to be held back by integration and security issues associated with legacy systems and mobile device inefficiencies.
When asked about IT concerns, the study found fewer respondents choosing data security than last year. While it does remain a top concern for the sector’s IT leaders (24%), this is a significant drop from 33% in 2024. Could this indicate technological progress is keeping systems safe?
Possibly not, since 84% of respondents said their organisation has experienced one or more data breaches since 2023 – an increase from 71% last year.
Unlocking the AI Opportunity
It is encouraging to see the UK’s healthcare sector embrace AI, particularly as the technology reshapes how services are delivered, from more accurate diagnoses to personalised treatment plans and streamlined operations. It’s clear that AI-driven insights empower organisations to improve patient outcomes.
According to the same report, the top areas where AI is supporting healthcare include processing or analysing medical data (61%), updating patient records (60%), personalising treatments (57%) as well as planning the best course of treatment (52%). It will be interesting to see how this changes over the coming months and years, particularly with the government’s ‘Plan for Change’ to shift NHS services from analogue to digital. As part of this, AI is set to have a prominent role, being used to scan NHS systems to flag safety issues in real-time and notify IT teams of crucial security infringements and threats before they cause harm.
However, the expansion of AI into patient care has resulted in a broadening use of devices such as tablets, wearables, smart printers and scanners which, when combined with the security risks of existing legacy technology, is making a difficult situation even more complex.
Breaking Through the Legacy Roadblock
Legacy systems have long been a pervasive issue in healthcare. With historical underinvestment in IT systems and rapid technology advancements outpacing the sector’s ability to adapt. One of the primary issues currently is the lack of integration among systems used for connected devices and telehealth applications.
The research found that almost all UK health IT leaders (99%) are facing challenges with legacy systems, IoT and telehealth. The same amount said their organisations utilise some form of connected devices or telehealth solutions for supporting patients remotely, increasing accessibility, saving time and enhancing communication. This could be a tablet to provide virtual consultations, or a smart blood pressure monitor for receiving updates on a patient’s condition.
However, almost three-quarters (73%) are using unintegrated, outdated systems for IoT and telehealth medical devices. This is higher than the global average of 65% and impacts interoperability, including the ability to access real-time patient data all in one place and increasing security vulnerabilities.
Nearly two-thirds (64%) frequently face downtime and tech issues, and 43% say legacy systems make networks vulnerable to attack. Due to reliance on legacy technology, several challenges emerge, particularly around device management. IT staff report being unable to deploy and manage new devices or printers (47% UK, 38% globally), support devices remotely or access detailed diagnostics (53% UK, 38% globally), and spending excessive time troubleshooting issues (41% UK, 39% globally). These challenges are especially pronounced in the UK compared to global averages and are contributing to compromised patient care.
Though a complete overhaul of outdated systems may not be feasible, due to budget constraints, the integration of new technology within legacy and fragile infrastructures requires unwavering precision and dependable partners to meet compliance standards, such as the UK’s Data (Use and Access) Act, and provide real-time optimisation.
Expanding the Potential of Healthcare Technology
As AI adoption surges globally, the UK is leading the way with integration beyond personalised patient care, but the sector must prioritise securing these tools and the data they handle, ensuring that trust and transparency underpin every decision.
Organisations should move from reactive to proactive strategies that enable them to detect and prevent issues before they impact care – implementing real-time monitoring while staying ahead of security breaches and operational disruptions. By digitising processes and automating administrative tasks, healthcare providers can enhance operational efficiency, safeguard sensitive information and most importantly, ensure that patient care remains the top priority.
