LONDON, Feb. 27,
2025 /PRNewswire/ -- New research from Appian
(Nasdaq: APPN), in partnership with Coforge (NSE: COFORGE), reveals
that, on average, process inefficiency costs National Health
Service (NHS) staff five hours per week in extra work or
delays. Across the NHS's 1.5 million workforce, this adds up to
7.5 million hours of extra work every week.
The 2025 UK Public Sector Efficiency Survey polled 1,000
UK public sector workers, including 242 NHS staff. Of those
respondents, 95% stated that they face process
inefficiencies in delivering services. The top reported
obstacles were:
- Manual and repetitive tasks
- Immediate challenges forcing reactive decision-making over
proactive solutions
- A need to access multiple legacy systems to review or enter the
same information
- A lack of training and support
NHS workers also reported process change as a common challenge,
with 93% stating that their organisation struggles to adapt its
processes (specifically while maintaining productivity amidst
changing service demands and government policies).
These challenges are intensified by mounting pressure to improve
productivity. The 2024 Darzi Report revealed that NHS productivity
has declined by at least 11.4% since 2019, and there is a
significant gap between the NHS and other sectors in digital
transformation progress.
Outdated systems obstruct NHS productivity
Legacy
technology remains a significant obstacle to NHS efficiency. A 2025
report published by the Department for Science, Innovation and
Technology (DSIT) revealed that NHS England experienced 123
critical service outages last year, due to archaic technology.
"With elective care waiting lists at an all-time high,
productivity is an urgent priority," Peter
Corpe, Industry Leader, UK Public Sector at Appian. "The
research shows that NHS workers are challenged with legacy
technology. Asking them to act as the human glue that binds those
systems and technologies together only hinders efficiency
further."
AI and automation: the keys to efficiency
Despite
process challenges, NHS staff are optimistic about the
opportunities process automation and AI
technologies offer:
- Confidence in AI. 64% of NHS workers expressed
some or high confidence in AI's potential to improve
organisational efficiency.
- Confidence in automation. 69% believe automating
repetitive tasks would simplify their jobs and improve outcomes.
Among those already using workflow or process automation tools, 95%
reported improvements, including enhanced productivity,
improved communication, greater consistency and traceability.
Coforge, an Appian partner for over 13 years with 350+ Appian
practitioners on staff, has seen these outcomes first-hand. "Modern
AI and automation technologies are transforming complex government
processes into streamlined digital workflows," said Coforge Chief
Customer Success Officer John
Speight. "By partnering with Coforge, organisations are
turning this potential into reality – reducing processing times
from hours to minutes to achieve significant cost savings, and
deliver smarter, faster, community-focused outcomes."
"Every NHS organisation is built on processes and when those
processes improve, so do the services delivered," said Corpe. "With
millions of hours a week at stake, resolving process inefficiencies
and orchestrating pathways such as referrals or discharge
management offers the NHS a chance to work more efficiently. This
means more time for strategic and value-driven activities that
directly improve patient outcomes."
The solution to smarter public services
In a recently
released AI Opportunities Action Plan, the government committed to
building cutting-edge, secure, and sustainable AI infrastructure to
support all public sector organisations, including the NHS. "The
government is clear on its mission to automate processes in the
public sector," said Corpe. "AI adoption is no longer a question of
if but when. And according to survey
respondents, public sector workers are ready for change."
The solution to process inefficiency, Corpe says, is to make
technology part of the process. "And no company is better equipped
to deploy AI in enterprise processes than Appian. Appian is the
leader in process orchestration, automation, and intelligence. By
embedding AI in processes with unified, secure enterprise data,
Appian is improving service delivery outcomes. And we've been at
the forefront of better process outcomes in government for over 25
years."
Download the 2025 UK Public Sector Efficiency Survey for
more findings from public servants.
About Appian
Appian is The Process Company. We deliver
a software platform that helps organisations run better processes
that reduce costs, improve customer experiences, and gain a
strategic edge. Committed to client success, we serve many of the
world's largest companies across industries. For more information,
visit appian.com.
About Coforge
Coforge is a global digital services and
solutions provider that leverages emerging technologies and deep
domain expertise to deliver real-world business impact for its
clients. A focus on select industries, a deep domain
understanding of the underlying processes of those industries and
partnerships with leading technology platforms, enables Coforge to
be a trusted partner of its clients in their transformation
initiatives. Coforge leads with its Product Engineering approach
and leverages AI, Cloud, Data, Integration and Automation
technologies to transform businesses into intelligent, high growth
enterprises. Coforge has 30 global delivery centres and is present
in 23 countries.
For more information, visit coforge.com.
Photo -
https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2627575/1003093_DGR_UKPS_social_v2_NHS_1200x628.jpg
Logo -
https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1948800/Appian_400px_Blank_Logo.jpg
View original
content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/new-data-shows-nhs-burdened-with-7-5-million-hours-of-extra-work-every-week-302385676.html
