AI in healthcare: What NHS CIOs must prioritise in 2026

AI continued to dominate the conversation in 2025, but in 2026, healthcare CIOs are shifting gears.

After a year of rapid adoption and high expectations surrounding artificial intelligence, 2026 is shaping up to be the year CIOs apply a more strategic lens. Not to slow progress, but to steer it in a smarter direction. One that aligns with the NHS 10-Year Plan and delivers on integrated care ambitions.

In 2025, we saw the rise of AI copilots across almost every platform imaginable as the world raced to embrace assistance-on-demand. But while vendors marketed "magic," NHS digital leaders were left with the reality. Multiple pilots, overlapping platforms, and too few measurable outcomes.

Now the honeymoon period is over. It’s time to assess what worked, what didn’t, and what truly matters. In healthcare, the role of the CIO is shifting from tech enthusiast to strategic outcome architect. That means moving from disconnected experiments to holistic thinking – aligning people, process, and technology to drive sustainable results. Process mapping will become an essential starting point: identifying pain points, inefficiencies, and areas for AI and automation that directly link to measurable outcomes. And that shift comes with a new set of priorities. Here are five that will define healthcare in 2026.

1. Process intelligence will replace fragmented copilots

The early promise of AI copilots was appealing: save time, reduce manual work, and ease staff workload. But reality has been far more grounded. Independent evaluations, including a detailed UK Department for Business and Trade trial, found minimal measurable productivity improvements[1]. Despite glowing self-reports, actual gains were either negligible or non-existent. Why? Because these tools were designed for individual users, not clinical pathways or operational processes. They sat on top of workflows, rather than improving them. In too many cases, the top use case was summarising meeting notes – useful, but hardly transformative.

In 2026, NHS CIOs will shift focus from point solutions to end-to-end platforms that drive system-wide efficiencies – such as streamlining referrals, triage, or appointment scheduling. This pivot from individual utility to organisational efficiency will be the biggest AI reset of the year.

2. Consolidation will beat complexity

NHS CIOs have long battled sprawling tech estates and overlapping solutions, often held together by fragile integrations. In 2026, that complexity will come under fresh scrutiny. Too many tools chasing too few outcomes is no longer sustainable.

There will be a marked shift towards simplification – rationalising technology stacks and working with partners who can demonstrate true interoperability. CIOs will favour vendors who collaborate rather than compete, and who can clearly show how their solutions integrate within the broader ecosystem. Less will be more, especially when it comes to driving efficiency and speed.

This change is as much about procurement strategy as it is about technology. Healthcare CIOs will look to platform-based approaches that offer the flexibility to build applications tailored to real-world processes. The ability to generate apps directly from mapped processes – refining and improving iteratively – will empower digital teams to deliver faster and smarter. It means building long-term partnerships that are based on shared goals and business value, not short-term sprints or siloed innovation.

3. Governance will take centre stage

The more AI scales, the more governance matters. In healthcare, this is not just about compliance – it’s about ensuring safe, effective and equitable care. This means building guardrails into every intelligent system – from the very beginning of deployment. That includes audit trails, escalation rules, and privacy protocols, all built into the user journey through intuitive, adaptable frameworks. Proper escalation and human-in-the-loop models will be essential, alongside data stewardship – knowing where data is stored, how it’s accessed, and ensuring privacy by design.

Governance isn’t a drag on progress; it’s the foundation of trust. Low-code platforms are emerging as powerful enablers in this shift. They don’t just speed up development – they allow CIOs to embed controls directly into the build process. This approach supports the democratisation of development, empowering teams to iterate, improve, and scale quickly, without compromising on oversight.

4. Prediction must be followed by action

AI is good at pattern recognition. But to be truly effective those patterns must trigger timely interventions that enhance patient outcomes. A shining example of this shift is the work at Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust. By embedding AI directly into its workflows, the Trust saw attendance among those most at risk of missing appointments improve significantly, with a 67% reduction in missed visits. It was not just that the model could identify at-risk patients; it was that this insight triggered an additional reminder, leading to better outcomes. The value was not in the model alone but in how it changed communication in a meaningful, practical way.

That’s what healthcare CIOs will demand in 2026. Prediction engines must be paired with platforms that empower action. Whether it’s preventing missed appointments or spotting security anomalies before service failures occur, success will be defined by what AI enables teams to do differently.

5. Value must be proven, not assumed

A dangerous trend emerged in 2025: building business cases on feelings. CIOs were pressured to prove AI success based on user satisfaction or time-saving estimates, often self-reported. The problem? These metrics are vague, inconsistent, and impossible to verify. In 2026, that won’t be good enough. CIOs will be expected to show clear cause and effect. If AI is being used, what has it replaced? What has it improved? What cost has it avoided?

We need to replace the tick-box mindset with a value lens. That means thinking beyond the tech and tying initiatives back to outcomes CEOs care about – clinical performance, workforce efficiency, patient outcomes and service resilience. Crucially, this demands a holistic approach. It’s not just about technology. CIOs must align people, process, and platform – starting with detailed process mapping to understand how work gets done, where inefficiencies lie, and how those insights translate into smarter applications. These maps become blueprints for building, offering a framework to generate applications that deliver measurable value.

The resolution: outcome-led leadership

Healthcare CIOs have spent years driving digital maturity. In 2026, their role will evolve again – from building tools to delivering results. This year isn’t about pulling back on AI or slowing innovation. It’s about aiming it at the right problems. Problems that matter to clinicians. To operational teams. To patients.

The best CIOs won’t chase hype. They’ll stay focused on outcomes. They’ll ask: does this solution support the frontline? Can we measure impact?

AI isn’t the answer to every challenge – but when aligned to purpose, it can be a powerful lever for better healthcare delivery. The age of shiny objects is over. It’s time for substance. And that starts with us.

[1] M365 Copilot fails to up productivity in UK government trial • The Register