NHS 10-Year Plan: Data, AI and the Trust Gap
The third chapter of the 10 Year Health Plan for England highlights ambitions to use patient data for personalised care, research and AI development. It talks about a Learning Health System where data flows in real time, guiding decisions, identifying risk and improving outcomes.
These are exciting possibilities. But they depend on public trust, and GP confidence. Both are in short supply.
The fallout from the 2021 GP Data for Planning and Research (GPDPR) rollout, which had to be paused following public backlash, remains fresh in the memory. Patients were concerned about how their data would be used. GPs were left in the dark. Communications were poor. The lessons have not been forgotten.
For digital and data driven models to succeed, the NHS must rebuild trust. That means clear consent frameworks, transparent governance and real time visibility for patients and clinicians.
It also means investing in the capacity of primary care teams to act on the insights generated. For example, a flag for high risk COPD is meaningless if the team has no time, no staff and no commissioned pathway to intervene.
The commercial opportunity lies in pathway embedded solutions
Despite the concerns, this chapter offers important signals for suppliers, especially those in pharma, medtech and digital health.
One recurring frustration I hear from frontline clinicians is the sheer number of platforms they’re expected to navigate. If your product requires a separate login, another password or multiple clicks just to reach key features, it will almost certainly be dead on arrival.
Practices are overwhelmed with digital systems that don’t talk to each other, each one demanding time, memory and workflow disruption. If your innovation adds friction instead of removing it, no matter how clinically compelling it is, adoption will stall.
Seamless integration with existing systems like EMIS, SystmOne, and the NHS App isn’t optional, it’s fundamental.
There is a clear need for pathway enabled solutions where technologies and tools that are not just clinically effective, but also:
- Designed for integration into existing systems.
- Supported by training, implementation and triage models.
- Built with equity in mind, accessible across literacy levels, languages and digital access gaps.
- Evaluated with system level outcomes in mind e.g. reduced appointments, avoided hospitalisations, streamlined prescribing.
As I explain in my new book Embedded, real NHS adoption happens when solutions are easy to embed, easy to explain and easy to justify. That means understanding not just the user, but the pathway, the workload implications and the financial flows.
For example, AI-supported tools that interpret test results must be accompanied by pathways for escalation, coding and follow-up. Remote monitoring tools should include training and alert management models. And digital tools must support, not replace, relationship based care where needed.
Moving beyond pilot schemes into scalable, durable tools
One of the biggest frustrations I hear from NHS colleagues is the never ending stream of pilots. Digital innovation is full of promise but often fails to go the distance. Too many tools are introduced with short term funding, poor implementation and no plan for sustainability.
This chapter reinforces that the NHS is looking for scalable, value adding tools that can support population health, pathway transformation and integrated neighbourhood teams. That’s the language suppliers must speak.
If you’re in pharma, medtech or digital health, the takeaway is clear:
- Align your solution with the pathway.
- Demonstrate how it saves time, not just improves outcomes.
- Support the workforce, don’t bypass it.
- Be prepared to prove value quickly and locally.
- Design for equity from the start.
And crucially, partner with General Practice, because if GPs aren’t on board, your innovation won’t reach the patient.
Keep their attention by showing them how you make their day easier
Chapter three of the NHS 10-Year Plan rightly recognises that digital innovation is essential to future NHS sustainability. But the pathway to realisation must start with trust, capacity and co-design.
For General Practice, digital transformation must not mean extra inboxes, more messages and less continuity. It must mean tools that simplify, empower and support their core purpose; delivering safe, personal and local care.
For industry, the opportunity is clear, but the ask is higher. You must go beyond products and become transformation partners. If your solution makes the clinician’s day easier, the patient’s journey smoother and the system’s cost lower, you’ll not just get in. You’ll stay in.
At www.scottmckenzieconsultancy.com, we work directly inside the NHS, supporting provider organisations, commissioners and system leaders to implement real change. We then help pharma, medtech and device companies interpret what’s happening, so they can engage the right stakeholders, align with NHS priorities and get their innovations embedded into care pathways.
With 10 years in pharma and more than 20 years working within the NHS, Scott brings a unique dual perspective, now captured in his upcoming book, launching September 2025, Embedded: How Pharma, MedTech, and Device Companies Can Get Their Products into NHS Pathways and Stay There, which distils everything he’s learned into a practical playbook. Whether you’re launching a new product or trying to unlock stalled adoption, Embedded shows you how to reframe your offer, align with NHS priorities and make change stick.