NHS Digital, the national provider of IT systems and data for the health and social care sector in the UK, has spent over £10 million on remote working devices to assist with remote working over the pandemic.
The data, retrieved by the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) and analysed by the Parliament Street think tank, observed the number of laptops, tablets and mobile phones purchased by NHS Digital over the past five years as well as the average cost per device.
During the height of the pandemic – between November 2019 and October 2021 – NHS Digital purchased 7,767 electronic devices for £5,367,245 accounting for 53% of the device spend over the past five years.
Over half of the devices purchased were laptops (56.5%), with mobile phones making up 5,548 of the devices (42.7%). Only 89 tablets were purchased over the five-year period.
Achi Lewis, Area VP EMEA for Absolute Software, said: “With the advent of a work-from-anywhere world, large organisations like NHS Digital should be commended for their investment in devices to allow staff and patients to connect no matter where they are. Particularly during the pandemic, the adoption of remote technology has become the most favourable working model and the investment in technology for staff will comprise part of the network infrastructure for businesses for many years to come.”