By Simon Kelly, Managing Director, Flow Automated Intelligence.
Over the years, UK governments have put enormous amounts of money into technology to make the NHS more efficient. As recently as June 2025, the Chancellor announced a £10 billion new investment in digital transformation. However, many Trusts continue to manage large volumes of medical records and data on physical paper. They’re often stored in separate sites, miles away from where they’re needed.
Accessing the correct file, at the right time and when it’s needed can involve storage requests, transporting records, and hours of administrative time. This extra time means appointments get pushed back and clinical decisions are delayed. It also eats into budgets – after all, storage units and couriers are not cheap. If you could digitise paper medical records, you’d immediately see a tangible improvement. Clinicians and admin teams could access files faster, use resources more efficiently, and teams could spend more time on patient care.
At Flow Automated Intelligence (Flow) we are digitisation experts supporting NHS Trusts in reducing their reliance on paper without disrupting day-to-day operations. Our flexible ‘Start small. Scale smart.’ approach takes the risk out of digitisation, demonstrating value early as you work towards your long-term goals. Digitisation in the NHS lays the foundation for future data-driven healthcare by enabling the seamless collection and integration of patient information.
In this blog we share why this is so important:
The burden of paper records
Relying on paper makes routine tasks slower and more expensive. Staff regularly spend time chasing documents between clinics, storage areas and archive centres. Admin teams spend hours locating records for upcoming appointments. Retrieval delays push back clinical schedules and create unnecessary pressure.
Security risks also increase; paper records can be lost, damaged or accessed without authorisation. Without proper audit trails, Trusts face greater exposure to governance failures. Manual processes also make compliance more difficult. Meeting GDPR standards, responding to Subject Access Requests and fulfilling Freedom of Information enquiries all become harder to manage when records are on paper.
Every costly delay affects patients, staff and Trust performance. Maintaining this outdated system takes up space, budget and time that could be used to improve frontline care.
Why digitisation?
When paper medical records are digitised and made easily accessible through your EPR, you replace paper trails with secure, structured digital files that clinicians can access instantly.
It means medical professionals can make decisions with confidence, knowing they have a complete view of their patient’s history. At the same time, admin teams save time because they no longer have to locate paper records, and governance teams are better equipped to meet legal and regulatory requirements. All of these benefit patient care.
The cost savings are clear. There is less need for physical storage, off-site file transport and manual retrieval. You can reallocate the money you save to areas with a greater impact on patients.
Flow recently worked with an NHS Trust in North West England to digitise 25 million records dating back more than 25 years. These files were stored across multiple sites, many of which were in a poor condition. Flow collected, scanned and structured every document, then made them accessible through the Trust’s existing EPR system. Throughout this project, frontline services were able to continue uninterrupted.
Flow: Digitisation without disruption
At Flow, we understand that change can be hard. That’s why we run our ‘Start small. Scale smart.’ approach. Trusts can start small with the records that would deliver the most benefit if they were digitised, then grow from there. The service is flexible and built to work alongside existing teams and systems.
Flow handles every stage of the process:
- Initial consultation to define scope, timescales and internal requirements
- Secure collection and transport of records
- High-accuracy scanning, data capture and tagging
- Upload into the EPR or relevant systems
- Ongoing digitisation of new or frequently accessed files
For records required urgently, Flow provides rapid turnaround. Teams can access scanned files within hours, allowing appointments to go ahead on schedule.
The service is designed to run in parallel with daily operations. There is no need for retraining people or system downtime. Medical records teams continue their work while the records are digitised in the background.
Flow offers flexible pricing with options to spread costs over time. Trusts pay for the services they use, delivering more financial control and helping to protect in-year budgets.
Compliance and NHS digital transformation
By definition, digitisation strengthens governance. Flow’s approach ensures that every record is handled in line with GDPR and NHS data standards. Files are scanned in secure environments and tracked from end to end. Digital audit trails make it easier to meet compliance deadlines and reduce the risk of data breaches.
Digitisation also streamlines how Trusts work. Digital files are easier to search, share and store. Delays caused by lost or misfiled records are removed. Teams spend less time on admin and more time on patient care.
Importantly, digitisation supports long-term transformation. National investment in digital health is growing, with £4.7 billion already committed and up to £10 billion allocated through to 2028. Trusts that act now will be better placed to integrate new technology, deliver joined-up care and meet future service standards.
Time to act
Paper records are slowing down the NHS. They take up time, space and budget while making it harder to deliver the care that patients need.
Digitisation offers a clear way forward. It creates faster access, stronger compliance and better value for money. Flow provides a reliable, fully managed service that enables Trusts to reduce risk, ease pressure on staff, and build a more modern way of working.