Weekly Round-Up Issue 9

NHS England Loses Two Senior Digital Leaders Within One Week

Ming Tang, interim CDIO and chief data and analytics officer at NHS England, announced her departure in April 2026 after 16 years. The news comes just one week after CTO Sonia Patel confirmed she's leaving in March for an interim government CTO role. Tang led the Federated Data Platform and co-chaired the 10 Year Health Plan working group on data and technology.

The simultaneous exit of NHS England's two most senior digital leaders creates uncertainty during a critical transformation period. Suppliers may face delays in strategic decisions around the Single Patient Record, NHS App expansion, and FDP procurement. New leadership could bring different vendor priorities and implementation timelines.

NHS Trusts' IT Spend Hits £4.1bn, Up 9% Year-on-Year

Total IT spending by NHS trusts reached £4.1 billion in 2025, a 9% increase from 2024, according to Future Health Intelligence analysis presented on 30 January. England accounted for 87% of spending, with 80% concentrated in acute trusts. Guy's and St Thomas' led at £109m, followed by Manchester University (£90m) and UH Birmingham (£68m).

The £4.1bn figure demonstrates sustained NHS investment in digital infrastructure despite £11bn efficiency requirements. The concentration in acute trusts reflects ongoing EPR implementations ahead of the March 2026 coverage target. Mental health trust IT spending (£738m) remains comparatively small, signalling potential growth opportunities in under-digitised sectors.

MHRA Publishes Guidance for Users of Mental Health Apps and Digital Tools

The MHRA released new guidance on 27 January to help the public, parents, carers, and professionals make informed choices about digital mental health technologies. The guidance—developed with NHS England and funded by Wellcome—includes online resources, animations, and real-world examples showing what safe, evidence-based tools look like. It explains which products are regulated as medical devices (requiring CE/UKCA marks) and how to report concerns via the Yellow Card scheme.

With 37% of UK adults using AI chatbots for mental health support, the MHRA is addressing a regulatory grey area. Some digital mental health technologies qualify as medical devices and must meet safety standards; others are lifestyle products without the same checks. Developers must now clearly demonstrate clinical claims are evidence-based, explain data usage, and show evaluation/testing processes. The guidance signals increased scrutiny of an under-regulated sector.

Norwich Healthtech Evaro Raises £18m Series A for "Healthcare-as-a-Service" Model

Digital healthcare platform Evaro closed a $25m (£18m) Series A funding round led by AlbionVC, with participation from Simplyhealth Ventures, Exceptional Ventures, Cornerstone VC, and BBI. The NHS-licensed platform embeds prescription services into consumer brands like period-tracking app Clue and sexual wellness retailer Lovehoney. Evaro serves 2 million patients and aims to reach 10 million over three years, expanding across women's health, men's health, and longevity medicine.

The "embedded healthcare" model represents a shift in how healthtech companies scale—partnering with established consumer brands rather than competing directly for patients. Evaro holds comprehensive regulatory credentials (CQC and GPhC licensed since 2018, seven active regulatory approvals) and NHS integration for GP record access. The funding demonstrates investor confidence in infrastructure-as-a-service models that relieve NHS pressure for minor conditions whilst maintaining safety and compliance.

Periculo's Take This Week

Leadership transitions, record IT spending, supply, new regulatory guidance, and significant healthtech funding paint a sector in rapid transformation, but also under pressure. Tang and Patel's departures remove experienced voices who shaped procurement strategies, whilst the £4.1bn IT spending shows NHS digital investment appetite remains strong despite financial constraints.

The DXS breach reinforces that NHS supply chain assurance is now a mandated CAF-aligned DSPT outcome—suppliers without demonstrable, independently verified cybersecurity face procurement barriers. The MHRA's mental health app guidance fills a regulatory gap, but signals increased scrutiny for digital health technologies, particularly around evidence-based claims and data handling.

Evaro's £18m raise demonstrates that "embedded healthcare" infrastructure models attract investor confidence, particularly when combining strong regulatory credentials with partnerships leveraging existing consumer trust. For NHS suppliers, the message is clear: prove security, demonstrate ROI, and offer flexible commercial models.