May 08, 2025
NHS Print Modernisation Starts Here: Cut Waste, Boost Security, Improve Care
Vasion Team
In the high-pressure world of UK healthcare, every second counts. With over 1.6 million people using NHS services daily and 1.4 million staff operating across complex, multi-site environments, even small inefficiencies can cause significant disruption. While EMRs and EHRs have transformed clinical workflows, one often overlooked area continues to slow everything down: printing.
From prescriptions and discharge letters to wristbands and lab results, printing remains essential to care delivery. However, across NHS Trusts and private healthcare settings, outdated print infrastructure is straining IT resources, compromising data security, and impacting patient outcomes.
The Problem: Legacy Print Infrastructure Is Holding Healthcare Back
The scale and complexity of NHS operations make efficient print management challenging. Consider this:
- NHS hospitals in England alone print millions of documents per day.
- An estimated 10-15% of NHS IT service desk tickets are print-related issues.
- NHS Digital and ICO reports regularly highlight data breaches linked to printed documents left on unsecured printers.
Key challenges include:
- Security risks from unsecured queues and unauthorised access to printed PHI.
- Disrupted workflows due to driver errors, mismatched printers, or unavailable devices.
- Rising costs and waste with limited visibility over usage and output.
- A stretched IT workforce is often reactive vs. proactively managing print problems.
The Solution: Cloud-Native, Serverless Printing with the Vasion Automation Platform
The Vasion Automation Platform eliminates the need for traditional print servers with a modern, cloud-native platform that streamlines print management, enhances security, and supports a more efficient healthcare environment. How does it achieve this?
1. Enhancing PHI Safeguards While Ensuring GDPR Compliance
With data privacy fines reaching up to £17.5 million under UK GDPR, the need for secure print processes is non-negotiable. Cloud-native printing supports pull printing and user authentication, preventing unauthorised access and ensuring documents are only printed when staff are physically present at the device. The Vasion Automation Platform protects patient data with:
- Zero Trust Printing: Minimise risk and meet NHS Digital security standards by removing legacy print servers and applying least-privilege principles across your print environment.
- Secure Release Printing: Ensure sensitive patient documents are only collected by authorised staff using the device's multi-factor authentication (MFA).
- Off-Network Printing: Enable secure printing for mobile clinicians, remote workers, and visiting specialists even when off the NHS network.
- Identity Provider (IdP) Integration: Seamlessly integrate with trusted platforms like Azure AD, Okta, and NHS Identity to enforce strong authentication without managing credentials directly.
- Smart Print Rules & Routing: Automatically restrict or route print jobs containing PHI or flagged terms, ensuring only the right people access the correct information in the right place.
2. Reducing the IT Burden
Managing traditional print infrastructure is a significant challenge with over 9,000 NHS organisations ranging from large hospitals to small GP practices. Each remote print server requires ongoing maintenance, driver updates, and troubleshooting, often consuming valuable time and resources. Serverless print solutions offer a modern alternative by removing the need for on-site print servers and centralising management. IT teams can deploy and manage printers across multiple locations from a single interface, drastically reducing setup time and the risk of errors. This streamlined approach allows IT departments to shift their focus from reactive support to more strategic initiatives, such as digital transformation and cybersecurity.
3. Seamless Integration with EMR/EHR Systems
In healthcare, timely and accurate documentation is vital. Output Automation from Vasion Output gives you the ability to integrate directly with leading EMR/EHR systems like TPP SystmOne, EMIS, Cerner, and Epic, ensuring a seamless print experience. Whether it’s printing a patient’s prescription, discharge summary, or test results, documents are routed securely and reliably to the correct printer without manual intervention. The result is a smoother clinical workflow where staff can trust that essential documents are delivered promptly, supporting high-quality patient care.
4. Cost Control and Print Auditing
With the NHS facing significant budget constraints and rising pressure on frontline services, controlling operational costs has never been more critical. Printing remains a significant expense, with costs running into hundreds of millions annually. Vasion helps address this challenge by providing advanced tools for monitoring and managing print activity across departments, users, and devices. Administrators can identify patterns of overuse or inefficiency and implement measures such as print quotas, user authentication, and rules-based printing to reduce unnecessary output. These controls generate substantial cost savings and support the NHS’s broader sustainability and digital transformation goals by reducing paper and toner consumption. In a strained healthcare system, every efficiency gained contributes to protecting resources for where they’re needed most: patient care.
NHS-wide Benefits
Whether you’re managing a single-site community hospital or a multi-site NHS Foundation Trust, modernising your print infrastructure offers measurable benefits:
- Fewer service desk tickets
- Lower print-related costs
- Improved data security
- Enhanced care delivery
In a sector with tight margins and high expectations, it’s time to stop treating print as an afterthought. With Vasion’s cloud-native platform, you can turn printing into a strategic asset that strengthens security, saves money, and enhances care delivery.