Primary care isn’t short on innovation, but digital transformation has often felt uneven. Some systems work beautifully. Others add complexity. And many practices are still navigating what good digital implementation actually looks like.
As we steadily approach 2026, however, the landscape is becoming clearer. Real progress is being made, not just in the technology itself, but in how it’s deployed across integrated care systems. Here are five digital trends already reshaping the way care is delivered across the NHS and where evidence shows they’re beginning to work.
1. Shared records are becoming standard practice
One of the biggest advances in primary care is the growing adoption of shared care records that allow different health and care providers to access and contribute to the same information.
In Greater Manchester, the GM Care Record is now used by over 18,000 frontline staff across primary care, hospitals and social care. It integrates data from GP records, hospital systems, mental health services and adult social care into one accessible view. Recently, it was enhanced with digital care plans for patients with complex conditions like dementia and heart failure, enabling clinicians in any setting to view and update a patient’s plan in real time
This is a significant shift. For clinicians, it reduces duplication. For patients, it creates a more joined up, consistent experience of care.
2. London’s OneLondon platform is connecting services
In the capital, the OneLondon Urgent Care Plan has been deployed across all five London Integrated Care Systems. This shared platform is now in use by over 40 NHS trusts and 1,400 GP practices, allowing clinicians across the NHS and local authorities to access and contribute to the same urgent care plans, including input from mental health, primary care, community care and social services.
These plans are especially important for people nearing the end of life or with multiple long term conditions, where clear and timely communication between services can have a huge impact on outcomes. The platform uses openEHR standards to ensure consistent and structured data across providers.
It’s not just about convenience, it’s about safety, continuity and better informed decision making across care settings.
3. Procurement is prioritising usability and accessibility
As the NHS moves away from centrally funded digital platforms, ICBs are being encouraged to use core allocations to purchase their own consultation, messaging and booking systems. But there’s a clear condition: these tools must be highly usable and accessible for both patients and staff.
According to NHS England’s digital guidance for 2025 – 26, systems must meet national standards and be appropriate for local populations. This includes ensuring platforms are accessible to patients with disabilities, language barriers, or limited digital literacy. For example, suppliers are expected to offer options such as translation, screen reader compatibility and inclusive user journeys.
Procurement decisions are now being influenced not just by technical functionality, but by how well systems can serve diverse communities.
4. Digital inclusion is being built into regional strategies
Historically, digital inclusion was treated as a reactive task, something to consider after a tool was rolled out. But many ICBs are now embedding it directly into their long term digital strategies.
The Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB, for example, has published a strategy focused on both digital capability and inclusion. It outlines actions to:
- Identify and support digitally excluded residents
- Partner with voluntary and community groups
- Offer access to recycled devices and training
- Monitor exclusion risk using data
This isn’t a one off initiative, it’s a multi year programme of support for populations who might otherwise be left behind.
It’s an important shift: digital inclusion is no longer a bolt-on, it’s becoming a baseline expectation.
5. Place based initiatives are addressing digital exclusion
Digital inclusion is also being tackled at neighbourhood level through practical, community focused initiatives.
In Cheshire and Merseyside, a digital inclusion programme mapped exclusion across the region, then used that data to distribute laptops and tablets to patients at risk of digital disconnection. The programme also trained local volunteers to support patients in using digital tools, whether for booking appointments, video consultations or accessing their records online. The aim was not just to improve access, but to build confidence and skills in underserved populations.
This kind of place based model is being promoted nationally as a blueprint for reducing health inequalities in the digital age.
Final thoughts
We often talk about digital transformation in terms of tools and technology, but at its heart, it’s really about design. It’s about how systems are joined up. How people access them. How care flows across settings.
The good news is, many of these ideas are no longer aspirational. They’re happening now. Shared records, smarter procurement, inclusive platforms, these aren’t pilots or theories. They’re real, funded and operational in parts of the NHS.
The challenge, of course, is scale. The next 12 to 18 months will determine how consistently these digital improvements are adopted across the country. But the groundwork is there, and that’s something to build on.
Curious on how to start your digital transformation? We’re happy to chat.