Improving patient outcomes: How better use of data can help the NHS achieve its 10-year plan

Despite major progress, NHS data still sits across multiple systems that don’t always talk to each other. Clinicians are often left without a complete view of their patients’ histories, commissioners lack visibility of what’s working, and patients experience unnecessary variation in care. These disconnects directly affect outcomes, delaying diagnoses, slowing referrals, and reducing the NHS’s ability to learn from real-world results. 

I’ve been thinking about how better use of data can help the NHS close these gaps and improve outcomes at every stage of the patient journey. 

Catching conditions before they escalate 

Late diagnosis remains one of the most significant barriers to improving patient outcomes. Conditions such as diabetes and heart disease often worsen silently before symptoms appear. By the time a diagnosis is confirmed, opportunities to intervene early have already passed with the impact of this felt across the system. 

Early detection saves lives and reduces inequality. So, when patients can access screening and follow-up care quickly, outcomes improve dramatically. But access isn’t consistent across the system. Socioeconomic factors, language barriers, and cultural differences all influence whether people attend appointments or receive timely intervention. These disparities widen existing health gaps and undermine the NHS’s goal of equitable care. 

Better use of data can change this, and when combined with local population insights, NHS teams can identify risk earlier and target interventions more effectively. 

NEC Health supports this through its screening programmes, which give clinicians the data they need to act early and equitably. At Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, NEC worked with local teams to improve screening attendance among refugee families. By analysing non-attendance data and addressing language and access barriers through targeted training and communication, the Trust achieved five years without a single missed appointment among refugee babies. A clear example of how data-driven prevention improves outcomes. 

Getting patients to the right care, first time 

Once a patient has been screened or diagnosed, getting them to the right care at the right time is one of the biggest determinants of outcome. However, referral processes across the NHS remain complex and fragmented. Missing test results, incomplete information, and weak communication between primary and secondary care often lead to delays. In some cases, patients are referred to the wrong service or fall through the gaps entirely, issues that directly affect confidence in care. 

Every delay in accessing the right care increases the risk of a worse prognosis. A patient who waits weeks for the wrong specialist can see their condition deteriorate, while another may simply miss the best window for treatment. Beyond individual cases, these inefficiencies extend waiting lists, divert clinical time away from patient care, and add unnecessary pressure to the system. Improving outcomes depends on creating faster, more accurate patient pathways that keep treatment moving in the right direction. 

Referral optimisation relies on connected, accurate data. When clinicians have access to complete patient information, they can make more informed referral decisions. Integrated data also supports intelligent workflows that automatically guide patients to the most appropriate clinician or service, ensuring care is timely and targeted. This is where digital systems transform from administrative tools into clinical enablers. 

NEC Health’s Rego platform demonstrates how smarter use of referral data can directly improve patient outcomes. Implemented across several NHS Integrated Care Boards, Rego optimises the referral process to direct patients to the correct treatment pathway the first time. Clinicians can also use Rego to seek advice from specialists before making a referral, reducing unnecessary appointments and duplicate tests. The outcome is a more coordinated experience for patients and measurable improvements in both efficiency and safety. 

Learning from real-world outcomes 

Once a patient moves into secondary care, treatment decisions can differ significantly between clinicians and hospitals. Too often, choices are shaped by individual experience or local practice rather than by population-level evidence. This variation creates inconsistency in care quality and, ultimately, in patient outcomes. The challenge is not the amount of data available, but how effectively that data is connected, analysed, and applied to clinical decisions. 

Value-based care depends on the NHS being able to learn continuously from real-world data that shows what works best for patients. Health registries make this possible by allowing the NHS to benchmark performance, monitor safety, and track long-term outcomes across treatments and devices. When these insights are used in clinical practice, they help clinicians choose interventions with proven effectiveness and give commissioners the evidence needed for value-based care. 

At NEC Health, we support the registries that capture and connect this vital data, including the National Joint Registry and Spine Tango. Together, these systems hold millions of patient records and outcome measures, giving clinicians access to evidence on implant performance and long-term results. This insight allows them to make better-informed choices about treatment options.  

Over time, registry data also helps commissioners and regulators identify patterns, measure improvement, and shape national guidance. This shows how connected data, used effectively, can become one of the NHS’s most powerful tools for improving patient outcomes. 

Making NHS resources go further for patients 

Improving patient outcomes depends on more than clinical decisions. It also relies on how effectively the NHS manages and allocates its resources. Rising demand, workforce shortages and inflationary pressures are forcing Trusts to deliver more care with fewer resources. Procurement choices made without clear evidence of value can create waste at both ends of the spectrum. This happens when the cheapest option fails to perform or when money is spent on premium products that offer no additional benefit. In both cases, funding is diverted away from areas where it could make a greater impact on patient care. 

Every pound lost to inefficiency is one that cannot be spent on direct care or innovation. Limited visibility of procurement data means Trusts often pay different prices for similar products and procedures, without knowing which deliver the best results. When financial and clinical data sit in separate systems, it becomes harder to judge which interventions provide the best outcomes for the cost involved. This disconnect is one of the main barriers to achieving value-based healthcare. 

Applying the same data-led approach used in clinical decision-making to procurement can change this. When spend data is combined with performance and outcome data, Trusts gain a clear picture of what delivers genuine value for patients. This insight supports decisions based on effectiveness rather than price alone, helping balance financial sustainability with improved outcomes. 

With AdviseInc, part of NEC Health, NHS Trusts can analyse procurement spend to understand the true cost and value of care. The platform gives buyers and clinicians visibility of what is paid for and links that spend to measurable outcomes. This intelligence enables Trusts to compare products and procedures using real evidence of performance and value. By turning procurement data into actionable insight, the NHS can extend the impact of every investment and ensure that improving patient outcomes remains the measure of value. 

Turning connected data into better outcomes 

The NHS’s ambition to improve patient outcomes relies on how well data is connected and used across the system. Each stage of the patient journey produces valuable information that can strengthen decisions and outcomes when it is shared and analysed effectively. 

Progress depends on a coordinated approach to how data is collected, interpreted and applied. When clinical, operational and financial information are connected, clinicians can act earlier, patients receive more consistent care, and the health system gains a clearer understanding of what delivers the best results. 

This principle is reflected in the work taking place across NEC Health, where screening, referral optimisation, registry and procurement tools are used to generate insight from data. The aim is to create an environment where decisions at every level are guided by evidence of what delivers the best outcomes for patients. 

Making effective use of data enables better decisions, and better decisions lead to improved outcomes for patients. I’m always interested in how others across the industry and within the NHS are tackling this challenge.

You can learn more about how NEC Health is helping connect data and insight across the patient journey at necsws.com/health