Healthcare time-saving has become a critical priority as new research reveals NHS staff waste five hours weekly due to process inefficiencies, totalling 7.5 million hours across the 1.5 million workforce.
NHS Time Waste Crisis Revealed
The 2025 UK Public Sector Efficiency Survey, conducted by Appian (Nasdaq: APPN) and Coforge (NSE: COFORGE), surveyed 1,000 public sector workers, including 242 NHS staff. An overwhelming 95% reported facing process inefficiencies in service delivery, highlighting the urgent need for healthcare time-saving solutions.
Top Healthcare Time-Wasting Challenges
NHS staff identified several key obstacles:
- Manual and repetitive tasks
- Reactive decision-making due to immediate challenges
- Multiple legacy system access for the same information
- Insufficient training and support
Additionally, 93% reported difficulties adapting processes while maintaining productivity amid changing service demands and government policies.
Declining NHS Productivity
These challenges coincide with mounting pressure to improve productivity. The 2024 Darzi Report showed NHS productivity has declined by at least 11.4% since 2019, with a significant gap between the NHS and other sectors in digital transformation progress.
Legacy Systems Hinder Healthcare Time Efficiency
Outdated technology remains a major obstacle. A 2025 Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) report revealed NHS England experienced 123 critical service outages last year due to archaic systems.
“With elective care waiting lists at an all-time high, productivity is an urgent priority,” says Peter Corpe, Industry Leader, UK Public Sector at Appian. “NHS workers are challenged with legacy technology. Asking them to act as the human glue that binds those systems together only hinders efficiency further.”
Healthcare Time-Saving Technology Solutions
Despite these challenges, NHS staff remain optimistic about process automation and AI technologies:
- AI Confidence: 64% of NHS workers expressed some or high confidence in AI’s potential to improve efficiency
- Automation Benefits: 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.
Government AI Strategy for Healthcare Time Efficiency
In a recently released AI Opportunities Action Plan, the government committed to building cutting-edge, secure 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.” Survey respondents indicate public sector workers are ready for this change.
Process Orchestration Saves Healthcare Time
According to Corpe, the solution to process inefficiency is making technology part of the process. “No company is better equipped to deploy AI in enterprise processes than Appian. By embedding AI in processes with unified, secure enterprise data, Appian is improving service delivery outcomes.”
“Every NHS organisation is built on processes, and when those processes improve, so do the services delivered. 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 activities that directly improve patient outcomes.”
Coforge, an Appian partner for over 13 years with 350+ Appian practitioners, has witnessed these outcomes firsthand. “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.”
Key Takeaways
- NHS time waste reaches critical levels – Process inefficiencies cost the NHS 7.5 million hours weekly, highlighting the need for healthcare time-saving innovations.
- Legacy systems create major bottlenecks – Outdated technology causes service outages and forces staff to navigate multiple systems for simple tasks.
- Healthcare staff believe in technology solutions – Nearly two-thirds of NHS workers have confidence in AI’s potential to improve efficiency.
- Process automation shows proven results – 95% of those already using automation tools report significant improvements.
- Government prioritising AI infrastructure – The AI Opportunities Action Plan commits to building modern technology solutions for public sector organisations.
