Study from iGov Survey and BT reveals that most technology decision makers expect to integrate IT systems with other local bodies at some point in the next two years

Over the next two years more than two-thirds of NHS organisations plan to integrate their IT set-up with other local health or social-care entities, research has found.

A study from iGov Survey, in association with BT, finds that 41% of technology decision makers at NHS organisations plan to enact such an integration at some point in the next 12 months. A further 27% expect to do so by 2020, while 17% anticipate an integration project taking place at some point in the next five years. Just 15% have no plans whatsoever to integrate their IT environment with another local agency.

The research also finds that the need to do more with less is the issue that is most impacting NHS bodies’ IT strategy. Some 69% respondents cited this as having a high impact. 

Security and compliance concerns are also causing headaches, with 56% indicating these are having a big effect on the work of the IT department. Meeting the needs of staff and patients was also cited as a high-impact area by 56% of respondents.

Of less concern was legacy systems integration and upgrades, which are considered to be having a significant impact on technology strategy by 46% of respondents. The need to keep up to date with technological advances was cited by just 25%.

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Almost two in three – 64% – of survey participants indicated that their organisation has a mobility strategy that enables staff to access applications and information from any location. Some 15% of respondents said that more than three-quarters of staff at their organisation use a mobile device for work, while a further 19% claimed that between more than half of workers do so. 

But 56% said that less than half of employees at their workplace use a mobile device professionally.

However, the vast majority of those quizzed – 84% – expect their organisation to increase their level of mobile adoption over the next two years. Not a single respondent anticipates that their organisation’s use of mobile computing will decrease in the coming 24 months.

Security is the biggest area of concern for IT professionals in regard to their mobile strategy, having been cited as being of high concern by 48% of respondents. Cost considerations were next on 34%, with cultural issues on 31%, integration problems on 23% and, finally, lack of management buy-in on 21%.

The iGov and BT survey, which was carried out late last year, posed questions to 53 people representing 50 different organisations.