Concentric Health

NHS-approved digital consent to treatment application, replacing the traditional paper-based process, enabling shared decision making and remote consent.  

Problem 

The current consent process in the NHS has become outdated. Despite widespread digitisation across healthcare, consent remains largely paper-based – creating systemic clinical, operational, and patient safety risks. 

Paper consent forms are frequently incomplete or inaccurate, with errors or omissions in over 50% of cases. This means patients may undergo procedures without fully understanding the risks, benefits, or alternatives –undermining informed consent and exposing both patients and organisations to avoidable harm and medicolegal risk (legal consequences that can arise from medical practice or decisions). 

Consent is often obtained on the day of treatment in time-pressured environments, limiting meaningful shared decision-making. Patients receive critical information about their surgery just minutes before it happens, with no time to process, ask questions, or make truly informed decisions. 

This outdated model drives inefficiency: contributing to last-minute delays and cancellations and diverting clinical time from patient care into chasing paperwork and fixing errors. 

The result is inconsistent, low-quality consent that fails to meet the standards expected of modern, safe, patient-centred healthcare – and fails patients when they need clarity and confidence most. 

Solution  

Concentric replaces paper consent with a structured digital workflow that puts patients at the centre. 

For clinicians: A library of 3,000+ evidence-based procedure templates ensures consistent, high-quality consent documentation aligned with national guidance. Templates can be personalised to each patient's specific circumstances. 

For patients: Consent information is securely shared ahead of treatment, allowing patients to review risks, benefits, and alternatives in their own time – not rushed on the day of surgery. Patients can provide consent remotely or in person, supported by clear, personalised information. 

Impact 

Concentric delivers measurable improvements across patient safety, workforce productivity, and operational efficiency. 

• Improved patient safety and experience: Patients receive clear, personalised information ahead of treatment, enabling genuine shared decision-making. Independent research shows shared decision-making improved from 28% to 72%, with higher satisfaction and better understanding of risks and complications. 
• Clinical risk reduction: Standardised templates eliminate errors and omissions. Lost consent forms reduced from 1.95% (paper) to 0%(digital). Improved documentation quality reduces medicolegal risk by an estimated 50%. 
• Time and cost savings: Digital workflows save 7 minutes of staff time per consent episode – equivalent to £5.64 per patient when scaled. Administrative burden (printing, scanning, filing, chasing lost forms) is eliminated. 
• Operational efficiency:  Earlier, remote consent reduces day-of-treatment delays and cancellations by 5%, improving theatre utilisation and supporting elective recovery targets. 
• System-wide transformation: Enables consent outside hospital settings, supporting distributed care models and NHS digital transformation priorities. 

Find out more about Concentric Health on their website