The vision of a paperless NHS—a fully digital healthcare system without paper-based records—has been a long-standing ambition. Sounds great *on paper*… but is it realistic?
While digitisation continues to advance, print remains essential to workflows across the NHS, from prescriptions and patient wristbands to consent forms and discharge papers. Given Legacy IT systems, incompatible electronic health records, and decentralised healthcare networks paper is still an unavoidable bridge in many cases. This is one of the reasons why NHS’ goal of becoming a paperless service, initially targeted for 2020, has so far failed to materialise. I suggest rather than striving for a completely paperless environment, the NHS should focus on creating a hybrid model, where print is used strategically to complement digital systems.
Why can’t the NHS kick its paper habit?
The NHS faces significant practical, logistical and financial hurdles to going completely paperless, largely due to the outdated infrastructure and a lack of standardisation across systems. Digitising decades of patient data is complex and costly, while presenting risks around security and interoperability between various health IT systems. Additionally, in high-stress hospital settings, many staff members still prefer paper for quick notes, signatures, or patient communication.
But I think the main reason that paper still exists, and will probably exist forever in some form, is its simple, consistent media format—paper is tactile and easily consumable, regardless of age, department, or workflow. Considering the level of complexity in a large healthcare organisation, paper remains a dependable way to disseminate information to multiple parties quickly and easily.
What’s more, the NHS serves a diverse population across the UK, so it must be accessible to people with differing levels of digital literacy or accessibility. It can’t be assumed that every patient has the technology and capabilities to access NHS services and information digitally. Pragmatically, these obstacles make a fully paperless NHS unlikely to become reality any time soon.
A hybrid approach: the future of NHS workflows
Given the challenges of complete digitisation, a workable solution is where the NHS finds the right balance between digital and paper-based workflows. This hybrid approach leverages the benefits of digital solutions, such as efficient patient data management, while retaining print for essential processes like legal documentation and patient consent forms.
To achieve this, the NHS will first need to address the issue of interoperability—many healthcare applications are not designed to share data externally. In countries with a unified health system like Singapore, systems are built to work seamlessly together, making it easy to transfer critical data between hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare providers. In contrast, UK hospitals often use dozens of different applications and platforms across departments. It’s this fragmentation—where moving information between systems requires middleware to convert data into a usable format—that adds another layer of complexity to healthcare IT infrastructure.
Having looked around the globe at how other healthcare providers are approaching this challenge, a potential solution is to standardise applications within the healthcare system, as demonstrated by New South Wales Health in Australia. The state is implementing a consistent application across departments and organisations to create a single healthcare IT ecosystem. Another example of successful interoperability is Epic, a market-leading healthcare management platform, which delivers a seamless and unified user experience, thanks to its ability to integrate with other applications.
With a similar focus on improving interoperability, the NHS can embrace a hybrid approach that integrates digital solutions with paper workflows—for more efficient and accessible patient care.
The role of print management in digital transformation
Any discussion on reducing paper use must include a strategy for print management. Print management software provides centralised control over printing, helping balance the need for paper records with the benefits of digital transformation. Independent print vendors must prioritise interoperability with other systems to provide consistency and rigour in print processes. Working closely with customers, they should identify where paper is required, where digital solutions can be implemented, and how to seamlessly integrate the two.
An example of one of the most exciting healthcare tech innovations I’ve come across recently is a platform called Imprivata. This puts patient information at the doctor’s fingertips as they move between workstations, cubicles, or wards, improving workflow efficiency. But the right format for data presentation is equally important: there will always be instances where patient records need to be physically printed. This is where print’s integration with other healthcare applications becomes critical.
Such solutions should also take care of user authentication, which is a vital component of secure workflows in healthcare operations. A robust Secure Print Release functionality requires the user to authenticate themselves at the printer—typically through a PIN or swipe card—before the document is printed. This ensures that only the authorised person can release and retrieve their print job, reducing the risk of sensitive documents being left unattended on a print tray.
By combining digital and paper-based processes, the NHS can digitise workflows while maintaining the ability to print when necessary. Print management solutions will play a vital role in supporting the transition to a more digital future—not a fully paperless NHS, but one with streamlined and secure digital and print workflows.
About the Author
Mat Buttrey is Senior Product Manager & Strategic Lead – Healthcare, at PaperCut. PaperCut was founded on a single question: How can we put an end to piles of wasted paper sitting in printer trays? Now, we’re joined by more than 125 million users – across all 195 countries and 85,000+ organizations – all crafting better environments one print job at a time.
