The ongoing crisis in the NHS shows that there is a fundamental need for reform and a large part of the change will be driven by digital innovation.

And the Government was right to recognise that the digitisation of health and social care would be essential to delivering improved and better integrated health and social care services, in a policy paper published last year.

But it is a worrying, albeit predictable, sign that an independent panel of experts has found that the Government is making inadequate progress on digitising the NHS. The panel found that overall progress towards improving the digital capabilities of the NHS was too slow, and often lacked support and funding. If the Government is to make it a success then the digitising programme needs the proper backing. Half measures will simply see the NHS fall further behind. Technology is constantly evolving and we should be looking to manoeuvre our healthcare system to the cutting edge of digital innovation.

A lot of the focus has been on frontline workers but the importance of those behind the scenes that keep the NHS going must not be lost.

Pressures on frontline services show that there is a need for digitising the NHS. PIC: Peter Byrne/PA Wire

That is why for the Government to realise its ambition of digitising the NHS it needs to train, recruit and retain sufficient specialised digital staff.

Worryingly, the experts concluded that social care was often missed out in commitments, stifling progress across the health and care system.

It is clear that in order to deal with capacity issues in the NHS, social care will have to play a much more important role going forward.

The region is home to digital expertise that can play a role in transforming the NHS for the better. NHS Digital is based in Leeds and private companies have proven their worth supplying to the healthcare system. The Government should provide the backing to enable a digital revolution in the NHS.

The Government needs to properly back NHS digitisation - The Yorkshire Post says