Clinicians or clerks? The digital dilemma holding back cancer care

With cancer cases rising, the NHS can’t afford to lose time, yet clinicians spend nearly two full workdays each week on paperwork instead of patient care. 

Why is admin growing at an alarming rate, and how can digital solutions break this cycle? Civica explores the key challenges and the technology that could revolutionise cancer pathways

Every minute counts in cancer care, yet NHS clinicians are losing nearly two full workdays each week to paperwork. Instead of diagnosing, treating, and supporting patients, they’re drowning in duplicated forms, outdated IT systems, and administrative red tape.

According to recent research, NHS clinicians are now spending 13.5 hours per week generating clinical documentation – the admin burden has grown by 25% in just seven years – and unless we act now, it will only get worse. The question is: Can technology break this cycle and give clinicians back the time they so desperately need?

In theory, digital technology should be the catalyst for change, helping the NHS drive efficiencies. Yet, in practice, it often feels more like an additional burden. Many hospital trusts and GP surgeries rely on multiple, disconnected systems that don’t talk to each other. A cancer patient’s diagnostic history, test results and treatment plan might be stored across several different platforms, requiring clinicians to waste valuable time navigating these silos rather than focusing on what really matters: the patient.

The outcome is an administrative nightmare. Clinicians are forced to duplicate data across systems, transcribe handwritten notes, and manually input patient information that should be instantly retrievable. The current state of digital inefficiency is, in many ways, as archaic as paper records, but without the satisfying rustle of a file being shut for good.

Writing in the foreword of the report ‘Improving Cancer Pathways’, Paul Sanders, Executive Director for Health and Care at Civica, underscores the urgency of addressing these inefficiencies. He highlights that legacy systems and processes not built for effective data exchange, automation or integration with new technologies are standing in the way of progress. There is a real need to ensure that clinicians are given the tools and resources they need to focus on patient care rather than being bogged down by administrative overheads.

Automation: The digital workforce that never sleeps

One of the most powerful solutions to the NHS’s paperwork overload is automation. By leveraging Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and AI-driven tools, many of these repetitive tasks can be streamlined, freeing up clinicians to care for patients.

Automated clinical documentation is a great example. Speech recognition software can transcribe consultation notes directly into electronic patient records (EPRs), eliminating the need for laborious data entry. AI-powered decision support tools can cross-check patient data, flag anomalies, and even suggest next steps in treatment, reducing human error while boosting efficiency. Moreover, robotic automation can handle appointment scheduling, referral processing, and even prescription orders – without requiring a single clinician to lift a pen or click a mouse.

When implemented correctly, these solutions can reduce admin time, allowing more focus on diagnosing and treating patients. But it’s not just about convenience, it’s also about saving lives. When clinicians spend more time engaging with patients rather than battling red tape, early diagnoses increase, treatment plans accelerate, and overall outcomes improve.

Sanders also emphasises the importance of developing digital solutions that place the needs of both patients and healthcare professionals at the centre. Technology should not be an additional burden but designed to streamline workflows and improve efficiencies, ensuring smoother patient journeys and a better working environment for healthcare professionals.

Why is change not happening faster?

Civica’s ‘Improving Cancer Pathways’ report builds on the insights and learnings from a roundtable debate that explored how digital technology can enhance cancer pathways and, ultimately, improve patient outcomes. Chaired by Gillian Rosenberg, cancer innovation lead at NHS England, the discussion brought together industry leaders, clinicians, and policymakers to identify actionable digital solutions that can transform the efficiency of cancer services.

Attendees agreed that, despite the clear benefits of automation, widespread adoption remains slow due to three hurdles standing in the way: an interoperability crisis, fear of change, and data governance and privacy concerns.

• The interoperability crisis: The NHS’s IT landscape is a patchwork quilt of systems, many of which were never designed to communicate with one another. The lack of a unified electronic patient record across primary and secondary care creates unnecessary duplication and inefficiency. Without seamless integration, automation solutions can only go so far. They need connected data to function effectively.

• Fear of change and the “over-piloting” problem: Healthcare professionals are understandably sceptical of yet another tech “solution” being dropped into their already chaotic workflows. Many have witnessed failed pilots, abandoned projects and systems that overpromise and underdeliver. The NHS has a tendency to pilot innovations repeatedly rather than committing to scaled implementation. This reluctance means that even proven technologies struggle to gain traction.

• Data governance and privacy concerns: With GDPR and strict data-sharing regulations, there’s a fine balance between accessibility and security. Clinicians need real-time access to patient information, but fears around data breaches, compliance risks, and patient confidentiality often slow down the adoption of digital solutions. The challenge is not in implementing automation but in doing so in such a way that meets stringent legal and ethical standards.

Breaking through the bureaucratic bottleneck

So how can we overcome these barriers and finally remove the admin chains from cancer care? In Civica’s ‘Improving Cancer Pathways’ report, the way forward is clear. The NHS is not short on dedicated professionals, groundbreaking treatments, or innovative solutions. What it is short on is time. The relentless increase in admin workloads is a crisis that demands immediate action.

Technology can be the game-changer that the NHS needs, but only if it’s implemented correctly. Embracing automation, reducing duplication, and tackling the barriers to adoption are crucial steps to remove the administrative bottleneck that is slowing down cancer care.

It’s time to let clinicians be clinicians. The more we automate, integrate, and innovate, the closer we get to a healthcare system where cancer pathways are driven by precision, not paperwork.

Download Civica’s ‘Improving Cancer Pathways’ report to dive deeper into the findings and recommendations.

Article written by Public Technology.