How Much Capital Is Tech And Innovation Saving UK Hospitals?

Hospitals across the UK are banking large savings through shared-use mobile devices. Research published today in the 2025 Imprivata State of Shared Mobile Devices in Healthcare Report shows that each facility is saving an average of £522,000 a year compared to using personal devices for staff.

The report, based on responses from 125 clinical and IT leaders in the UK, found that 85% of hospitals believe mobile devices are now essential tools. Nearly all respondents, 98%, expect their use to rise further in the next two years. Shared devices help staff communicate more quickly, standardise tasks, and remain mobile on busy wards.

Hospitals also reported stronger asset management, fewer lost devices and smoother compliance with regulations. According to 69% of respondents, shared-use devices make it easier to monitor usage and accountability, while 65% pointed to better asset tracking and compliance checks.

“Shared-use mobile devices represent one of the biggest opportunities to streamline workflows, save time, and improve patient care. Harnessing the power of shared mobile devices and ensuring rapid adoption amongst the clinical workforce will be driving how technology aligns with the needs of patients and clinicians alike to realise the NHS 10 year plan’s ambition of ensuring an NHS fit for the future,” said Daniel Johnston, associate chief nursing informatics officer and director of clinical operations at Imprivata.

 

What Issues Still Need Work?

 

Johnson continued, “However, achieving these benefits requires effective device management, and this research reveals what we see at many organisations – clinical and IT staff alike recognise the tremendous value in using mobile devices to enhance the delivery of care, but they have not yet unlocked how to best optimise at scale.”

Even as hospitals save money, the report shows gaps in how devices are managed. Nearly half of organisations, 47%, do not have a full policy for shared-use technology. This leaves room for problems around security, performance and everyday use.

Staff frequently face issues such as broken or uncharged devices and being locked out of accounts. In fact, 84% said they had struggled with unavailable or misconfigured devices. Another 77% admitted that staff sometimes share credentials when using these devices, creating risks for patient data.

Facilities also continue to lose around 13% of their devices each year. That works out to about 28 devices per hospital annually, losses that directly affect both security and staff morale.

 

 

How Does This Relate To End Of Life Care Costs?

 

Savings from technology stand in contrast to the high spending on hospital care in the final year of life. Research published in February 2025 by the Nuffield Trust and the Health Economics Unit, commissioned by Marie Curie, found that £22 billion of public money goes into caring for people in their last year.

Over £11.7 billion is spent on healthcare. Hospitals account for £9.6 billion of this total, with emergency hospital care alone costing £6.6 billion. For every £5 spent on healthcare for people in their last year of life, £4 is spent in hospital.

Marie Curie believes that more investment should go into community care to ease pressure on hospitals and give people a chance to die in the place of their choice. Its REACT service in Bradford showed that unplanned hospital bed days could be cut from 38 to 17 for patients supported in the community, saving up to £2.44 million in under two years.

 

Can Savings From Tech Be Extended?

 

The Imprivata report shows UK hospitals are not yet capturing as much value as other countries. While the UK figure sits at £522,000 per facility, the global average is closer to £840,000. Stronger policies and governance could help close that gap.

If hospitals paired the financial relief from mobile technology with reforms in end of life care, the NHS could see billions redirected. Tech alone will not cover the £22 billion spent each year in this area, but it demonstrates that practical changes can add up quickly.

Johnson concluded, “The challenges that organisations face in managing and securing shared-use devices are not surprising given that the industry is at the early stages of adoption.

“To address these challenges and start to optimise the use of mobile devices in patient care, UK healthcare organisations must implement strong identity and access management, more robust device management, and strategies to streamline clinical workflows to deliver the highest standards of security and usability.”