By Afshin Attari, senior director of public sector at Exponential-e
Last week, the government presented its second Autumn Budget.
In terms of tech spend, the commitments were relatively low key compared to the previous Budget and the 2025 Spending Review, however there was a much-needed additional cash boost promised to improve NHS patient services.
With £300 million dedicated to tech spend to improve patient services, this Budget recognises that technology is central to the future of the NHS.
Coupled with the government’s commitment to deliver £4.9 billion in efficiencies, particularly through AI and automation, means all substantial cost savings can be reinvested directly back into frontline services.
Supporting “more GPs, more nurses and more appointments” as Reeves stated.
The message is clear. Technology is no longer a cost.
Afshin Attari
It can be the catalyst for unlocking capacity, driving faster, fairer access to care whilst improving patient outcomes and building a stronger, more sustainable NHS for the long term.
Yet this innovation must be built on secure foundations and ensure cyber defences are just as strong as our ambitions.
Without strong protections in place, there is a risk layering new systems onto unstable ground.
With the shift from analogue to digital and increase of data use, healthcare systems are becoming increasingly vulnerable, notably as there is also now a commitment to deliver 250 new neighbourhood health centres in communities, meaning the expansion of infrastructure.
This new delivery approach will also be heavily reliant on resilient and secure IT systems with an assured Cyber Protection posture.
This advancement means digital transformation must progress alongside resilience – because in healthcare, the stakes could not be higher.
The NHS serves 1.6 million people daily and any cyberattack, system failure or data breach can have far-reaching consequences, not only for productivity, but for patient safety and public trust.
Technology has the potential to transform how we operate the NHS but only if we protect our defences first and as Reeves said: “Public services will no longer be asked to do more with less.
“But investment must go hand in hand with reform.”
