NHS England will roll out the 2025 Digital Maturity Assessment (DMA) shortly, helping providers benchmark digital progress, now including primary care but excluding social care.
NHS England is set to launch its 2025 Digital Maturity Assessment (DMA) within weeks, expanding the benchmarking tool to primary care providers.
NHSE prepares for 2025 DMA rollout
NHS England (NHSE) will launch the 2025 Digital Maturity Assessment (DMA) in the coming weeks, Chief Digital Officer Vin Diwakar confirmed in a statement. The DMA evaluates NHS providers’ digital capabilities, with 320 organizations benchmarked in the 2024 cycle.
The 2025 assessment marks the first inclusion of primary care providers, though social care remains excluded. NHSE officials stated the expansion aims to create a more comprehensive view of digital transformation across the health service.
Tool drives digital transformation
First introduced in 2021, the DMA helps NHS organizations assess their progress against the Digital, Data and Technology Standards Framework. Providers use the self-assessment tool to evaluate capabilities across areas like electronic patient records, cybersecurity, and data analytics.
According to NHSE’s latest annual report, 78% of acute trusts now have electronic patient record systems in place, up from 20% in 2019. The DMA has been credited with helping drive this progress through standardized benchmarking.
Industry reacts to expansion
Healthcare IT leaders welcomed the inclusion of primary care but noted challenges. “General practices have very different digital needs than hospitals,” said Dr. Sarah Wilkinson, CEO of NHS Digital. “The DMA must adapt to reflect this.”
The 2025 DMA is expected to launch by mid-October, with results published next spring. NHSE plans to use the findings to target digital investment where it’s most needed across the health service.
