𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Outdated computer systems are holding the country back, a major study warned. Whitehall departments and public services such as the NHS are suffering because they depend on archaic technology, according to think tank Re:State.

In one example, Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals suffered a major IT outage in 2022 because of a heatwave, causing widespread disruption across its hospitals and community services when patient data could not be accessed. Meanwhile, police rely on a National Computer first brought into service in 1974, which contains data on vehicles, people, property and crime, and attempts to replace it with a more modern system have been repeatedly delayed. The report warned: “Much of the potential of digital technology to transform the way the state operates has been left on the table, by governments of all parties who have neglected to invest in software in a way which lets the Government’s technology stack keep pace with the modern world.

“Public services are held back from radical transformation by a deadweight of ‘legacy IT’ – systems which are outdated, on the way to being obsolete, and inevitably not part of the future.”

The think tank called on the Government to create a dedicated “digital modernisation taskforce” to reduce the risks of old-fashioned equipment, while ensuring technology is updated.

Joe Hill, Re:State’s director of strategy, said: “The Guy’s and St Thomas’ outage is just one of many examples that show what happens when old systems fail in a critical service.

“Legacy IT is not just the machinery of digital government. It is the deciding factor on whether the state can deliver safe, resilient and modern public services at all.”