Overall summary
Concentric is a digital consent platform which aims to replace outdated, paper-based consent processes, improving efficiency, patient experience and clinical safety. It was already being used in some specialties at Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) and Buckinghamshire Healthcare (BHT). In 2024, the national Health Technology Adoption and Accelerator Fund (HTAAF) enabled these two NHS Trusts to extend and accelerate its use.
Health Innovation Oxford and Thames Valley (HIOTV) performed a mixed-methods impact assessment across two selected clinical pathways. This included a stakeholder engagement study in both Trusts, preliminary health economic analysis at OUH focusing on the ophthalmology pathway, and hypothetical health economic analysis at BHT within the obstetrics and gynaecology pathway. The impact assessment highlighted significant benefits:
- Operational efficiency – digital consent reduced time per episode by more than seven minutes at OUH, streamlining clinic workflows and increasing patient throughput
- Cost savings – projected savings of £5.64 per consent episode, totalling £167,437 over three years in the OUH ophthalmology pathway through reduced staff time, and reduced costs
- Medicolegal risk reduction: Fewer incomplete or lost forms reducing the risk of litigation
- Patient-centred care: Patients can review consent forms at home, supporting shared decision-making, improving satisfaction and experience and benefiting the environment
Implementation was largely successful, although issues such as Wi-Fi connectivity were identified and required ongoing IT support.
The deployment supports NHS priorities, including digitisation, reducing elective backlogs and improving productivity, making a strong case for wider adoption of digital consent tools like Concentric.
What is the challenge?
Obtaining informed consent is critical to safe, high-quality care, but the traditional paper-based process is often inefficient and inconsistent. Paper-based consent poses challenges, including misplaced or incomplete forms, treatment cancellations on the day, and time-consuming documentation. These issues create delays, increase risk and place an additional administrative burden on staff. Modernising to a digital consenting process improves safety, reduces variation and enhances efficiency, while also supporting better patient communication and aligning with wider NHS goals for digital transformation.
What did we do?
HIOTV led a comprehensive evaluation to assess the impact of Concentric’s digital consent platform at OUH and BHT. The impact assessment included four distinct studies: stakeholder engagement at each Trust, preliminary health economic analysis at OUH and hypothetical health economic analysis at BHT, developed for their respective clinical pathways.
To understand the real-world impact, the stakeholder engagement study involved clinical and administrative staff familiar with the system. A focus group at OUH included 11 stakeholders from ophthalmology, while at BHT, one-to-one interviews were held with obstetrics and gynaecology staff. Thematic analysis of these discussions explored usability, integration, shared decision-making, and perceived impact on safety and efficiency.
In parallel, HIOTV conducted a preliminary health economic analysis at OUH. Data received from OUH was used to compare paper and digital systems across multiple parameters, including staff time, operational disruptions and documentation errors. At BHT, a hypothetical analysis based on a literature review and stakeholder insight projected the financial benefits of digital consent.
What has been achieved?
The adoption of Concentric has delivered measurable improvements at both OUH and BHT.
At OUH, the preliminary health economic analysis within ophthalmology found that the average time for a consent episode was reduced by over seven minutes, with staff performing eye injections reporting a significant time saving from 10-15 minutes per patient to just three minutes. This has improved patient flows, reduced waiting times and increased availability of appointments. No day-of-treatment cancellations or missing consent forms were reported while using the digital system, showing an improvement in reliability and safety.
At BHT, the hypothetical health economic analysis of the obstetrics and gynaecology department suggested that approximately 14 consent-related cancellations each year could be avoided, resulting in estimated annual savings of over £72,000. A further £4,455 could be saved annually through reduced paper use and document handling. The system has also helped staff reduce administrative and cognitive load by providing a standardised, accessible process. Most significantly, the hypothetical health economic analysis projected annual savings exceeding £2 million in medicolegal claims alone.
Improved documentation accuracy, secure storage and reduced risk of incomplete paperwork have strengthened clinical governance and staff confidence in the consent process. These results demonstrate that digital consent not only improves operational efficiency but also enhances patient experience and safety, supporting wider NHS priorities around digital transformation and sustainable service delivery.
What people said
“BOB ICB commissioned HIOTV to do an evidence-based evaluation of the nationally funded roll out of Concentric in OUH and BHT. Thanks to their evidence we can see the technology has firmly proven itself at scale across our region.”
Henry Wright, Head of Digital Transformation, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board (BOB ICB)
“We’re hugely appreciative of the work that’s gone into this evaluation — the most in-depth analysis to date of digital consent’s impact within the NHS. By exploring cost-effectiveness, efficiency and user acceptance across two distinct trusts and specialties the findings carry real weight for others looking to follow suit. As the evaluation states, this serves as a blueprint for future digital transformation efforts.”
Dr Dafydd Loughran, Co-founder and CEO, Concentric Health
What next?
The results strongly support broader NHS adoption of digital consent, with a clear financial and operational case for scaling this model beyond the services and pathways assessed in OUH and BHT.
- Investment justification: Digital consent aligns with Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) priorities to move from analogue to digital. It also addresses the elective backlog and improvements in workforce efficiency.
- Scalability and ROI: The system is cost-saving, clinically beneficial and scalable across multiple specialties.
- Next steps: Future adoption strategies should focus on regional rollouts, embedding digital consent within electronic health record systems, and ensuring IT infrastructure readiness to maximise long-term benefits.