Lung cancer detecting robots, online therapy sessions for stroke patients and AI helping nurses to transcribe patient notes are some of ways hospital trusts in the North West are already using technology to improve care for patients.

The shift from analogue to digital is at the heart of the NHS 10 Year Plan, which was published in July, and sets out how new, innovative technology will deliver faster, more personalised care for our regional population.

Key to creating a truly digitally enabled NHS, is the NHS App, which by 2028 will be the full front door to the entire NHS. The most recent stats show that there has been consistent growth across all NHS App services, with some reaching record usage levels during June 2025 and more than 37.8 million registered users.

Dr Michael Gregory, Regional Medical Director for NHS England in the North West, said: “It’s so important at this time of huge transformation, that the NHS innovates and adapts, and so it’s encouraging to see so many of the NHS organisations in the region are already making significant progress set out in the vision of the 10 Year Plan.

“As we shift our focus from analogue to digital, I’m proud that the North West is home to some of the most innovative services, pioneering new ways of using technology to deliver care for everyone.

One of these innovate services is seeing patients awaiting diagnosis for lung cancer have the disease detected at its very earliest stages, meaning treatment can start earlier.

Wythenshawe Hospital is among the first hospitals in Europe to use the Ion system, a brand new, game changing technology in which a thin robotic catheter is used to each even the deepest and hardest-to-reach areas of the lungs. This means that difficult-to-reach nodules can be detected earlier, and lifesaving treatment, or the all clear can be given sooner.

Better patient care, as a result of the shift the digital is also happening at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust where a hospital consultation pilot which uses artificial intelligence to transcribe patient notes, is freeing up time to allow nurses to see more patients. The Trust introduced the CLEARnotes tool, which records the conversation between clinician and patient and transcribes it into meaningful notes which are then uploaded to the patient record, as part of an NHS England pilot in September 2024. The room for greater efficiency has meant that by February this year the AI tool had been used in 1,700 consultations, and the pre-operative department has gone from seeing 55 patients per day to 63.

At the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS FT, stroke patients can now access neurotherapy sessions from the comfort of their own home, with the new online neurorehabilitation service.

The programme, which launched to stroke patients in September 2024 offers rehabilitation via real-time group sessions virtually on Microsoft Teams. Each session focusses on different areas of therapy, including physical and cognitive rehabilitation, talking therapy and community support, with each one designed to improve patients’ understanding of how the brain and body work, boost their confidence and provide guidance on managing their symptoms

Dr Gregory continued: “The move to digital is changing how people interact with the NHS, improving accuracy and outcomes, and enhancing workforce experience, including how colleagues from across different NHS organisations can interact with each other.”

NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Immedicare service is doing just that – digital technology is helping system partners work together to help thousands of Liverpool’s care home residents avoid unnecessary hospital admissions.

This 24/7 digital health service supports all CQC registered care homes in the area, including those serving older adults and individuals with learning disabilities, by providing residents and staff access to assessments with NHS clinicians.

Immedicare, which works closely with NHS Cheshire and Merseyside and key system partners including primary care, Mersey Care community matrons, North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) and PC24 out-of-hours teams, provides support in a range of essential areas including falls prevention, wound management, end-of-life care, medication safety, and nutrition and hydration.

In 2024, the service carried out 13,000 consultations, with around 90% of those ending with the residents staying in their home.

Evidence of the digital agenda enhancing workforce experience is demonstrated at Pennine Care NHS FT, who have teamed up with Virgin Media O2 Business to set up three digital hubs, the most recent has opened at Birch Hill Hospital in Rochdale.

The hubs provide NHS staff with digital skills training and accessibility to technology resources, thus equipping colleagues with the tools to deliver better patient care.

The partnership with Virgin Media O2 has also enabled Pennine Care to upgrade its IT infrastructure with a transition to a software defined wide area network, over 4,100 new mobile connections and the introduction of a zero trust model for cyber security

Find out more about how the NHS is moving from analogue to digital in the 10 Year Health Plan: 10 Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future – GOV.UK