Building Better Healthcare has taken a look at the latest technologies NHS Trusts and other healthcare providers have integrated into their systems to advance their digital evolution in May 2025.
In May, NHS England started phasing out the use of legacy encryption protocols within its authentication environments.
From 27 May 2025, deprecated TLS 1.0 and 1.1 protocols were blocked in pre-production NHS authentication services, with production systems set to follow suit on 1 July 2025.
This move aligns the NHS with the latest security guidance from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), and represents a crucial milestone in the NHS’s broader digital transformation strategy.
This was a significant step towards strengthening digital security across the health service, and the NHS continues to move towards digitisation.
The partnerships
The NHS Trusts or healthcare providers that have made partnerships with companies are:
- Children’s Health Ireland
- Sectra
- GPs and NHS
- Lexacom
- Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- System C
- Powys Teaching Health Board
- Better
- NHS
- Vertex
- NHS
- C2-Ai
- Netcall
Medical imaging technology
Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) has signed a five-year contract with medical imaging and cybersecurity firm Sectra.
The agreement aims to modernise how diagnostic imaging is managed and accessed across paediatric care services in Ireland.
This includes services at the country’s forthcoming new children’s hospital.
The agreement includes a Vendor Neutral Archive (VNA) to securely store and manage medical images and diagnostic data in one central place.
It introduces a new Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) designed for ophthalmology services.
The imaging systems will be integrated with CHI’s Electronic Health Record (EHR) for seamless access to patient data.
The technology will enable instant access to imaging and reports for healthcare professionals during patient care.
Interoperability features will allow different imaging devices and systems to connect and share data efficiently.
A secure patient and family portal will let families view and share images and videos with healthcare providers.
Cybersecurity
Lexacom, a UK-based medtech company, has introduced Patient Shield.
Patient Shield is the UK’s first tool that automatically redacts personally identifiable information before AI processing.
This innovation ensures patient confidentiality while enabling clinicians to benefit from AI efficiencies.
This tool was created in response to growing data privacy concerns amid increasing AI use in healthcare, highlighted by nearly 8,000 UK health sector data breaches since 2019, according to Lexacom.
Patient Shield is designed for use across NHS services and GP practices, seamlessly integrating into existing clinical workflows, including digital dictation, ambient AI, and speech recognition tools.
It allows healthcare professionals to safely adopt AI technologies for clinical documentation and patient care, without compromising data security.
EPR system
The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (RJAH) is launching a new electronic patient record (EPR) system called Apollo, supplied by System C, between 9 to 12 May.
System C is a UK-based health and social care software provider, specialising in integrated clinical and administrative solutions for NHS organisations.
Apollo is an integrated digital system that consolidates patient information from multiple sources into a single, secure record.
It enables clinicians to order tests and medications electronically, view results remotely, monitor bed availability, and improve information sharing across healthcare teams.
The system is expected to improve patient safety, reduce unnecessary testing and hospital admissions, make appointment management easier, and support patients in managing their care. It replaces several older systems and represents the largest technology investment in the Trust’s history.
electronic Prescribing and Medicines Administration
Powys Teaching Health Board (PTHB) has partnered with Better to implement an electronic Prescribing and Medicines Administration (ePMA) system.
Better is an international health tech company specialising in digital health platforms and clinical applications.
This new system will replace paper-based prescribing in community hospitals and healthcare settings, improving patient safety, reducing medication errors, and simplifying processes for clinical staff.
The initiative is part of the national Digital Medicines programme, led by Digital Health and Care Wales (DHCW) and supported by the Welsh Government.
Key benefits include 24/7 access to digital records, fewer administrative errors, and improved ability to audit prescribing activity.
Radiology Information System
Vertex in Healthcare announced a new campaign to ‘re-invent’ the Radiology Information System (RIS) used in NHS diagnostic imaging.
The company is inviting NHS imaging professionals to share their needs and ideas to help modernise this core technology, aiming to reduce administrative workload, improve efficiency, increase patient throughput, and cut waiting times for scans.
The campaign, called "Reinventing the RIS for the NHS", will officially launch at the UK Imaging and Oncology Congress in Liverpool. It follows a strong interest in Vertex’s VRIS system, which has already demonstrated significant administrative and operational improvements in radiology departments worldwide.
The initiative responds to ongoing calls from the Royal College of Radiologists to address inefficient IT systems and relieve radiologists from excessive administrative duties amid workforce shortages.
Technology partnership
C2-Ai, a clinical analytics specialist, and Netcall, a software company, have announced a partnership.
The new partnership aims to help the NHS, local government, and housing organisations work together to better understand and respond to the risks and needs of people in their care.
Netcall collects wellbeing data from individuals via multiple channels; this will be integrated with C2-Ai’s AI models, already used in the NHS.
The combined intelligence will enable early, coordinated interventions across healthcare, social care, and housing, reducing hospital admissions and improving outcomes.
The partnership supports government priorities: digital innovation, prevention, and community-based care.