Ahead of the budget, the government confirmed that £300 million of new capital investment will go into technology for the NHS.

New digital tools will be rolled out to NHS staff to support their work and improve productivity - by automating administrative tasks and providing swifter access to patient information, as well as ensuring better staff communication and better coordinated care.

By upgrading technology, it is hoped that productivity will be improved so that nurses and doctors can focus on caring for patients and patients will be treated more quickly.

Health minister, Karin Smyth said: "Neighbourhood Health Centres fundamentally reimagine how the NHS works - bringing care closer to home and making sure the NHS is organised around patients’ needs, not the other way round.

"The Chancellor is rightly boosting investment in the NHS after we inherited a health service on its knees – with Lord Darzi’s investigation uncovering a £40 billion black hole. But funding will only get us so far. We need to use every measure available to us, which is why we’re leveraging in private investment to construct some of these centres, making the most of all expertise and every tool at our disposal.

"Our new NHS Rebuild approach will give the health service the investment it needs, repurposing and building a new generation of Neighbourhood Health Centres across the country. It will go hand in hand with reform and efficiency – ensuring proper value for money for taxpayers."

Daniel Elkeles, chief executive, NHS Providers, said: "£300 million more for new digital technology will go a long way to letting staff spend more time with patients rather than on time-consuming admin duties."