According to a new report set to be published this Tuesday, citizens and workers alike are being hindered by the use of archaic technology in the public sector.

Taxpayer-funded services, from local councils to the NHS, are missing out on £45 billion in productivity savings due to dependence on old and outdated tech, the UK Government has said ahead of the report’s publication.

The findings will show that nearly half of public services are unable to be accessed by people online, over one-in-four digital systems used by central government are outdated, and that a growing number of these outdated systems are “red-rated” for reliability and security risk.

To tackle the “shocking state the previous government left public technology,” tech secretary Peter Kyle will use digital tools and AI to overhaul public sector technology in a bid to save money and treat people with respect, the government noted.

For instance, patients with long-term health conditions can be forced to communicate with over 40 different services to access the care and support they need and are entitled to, with these different public bodies rarely sharing information, leaving people needing to repeat themselves over and over.

Kyle will set out a wholesale reshaping of how services use technology, reaching across local government, the NHS, and more, as to modernise the state.

The specific, to-be-announced changes could save taxpayers “billions,” the government pointed out, by making public services more productive, as well as freeing up public servants and doctors to spend more time helping people.

The changes also aim to make it easier for people to access government services and drive economic growth by supporting businesses to get approvals they need more quickly, delivering on multiple aims of the government’s Plan for Change.

Kyle himself commented: “Technology that sits at the foundation of our country has been left to wither and decay under the hands of the previous government, too often grinding to a halt and stalling essential public services – racking up a huge bill for the taxpayer.

“It doesn’t have to be this way – and it won’t be with our Plan for Change. There is a £45 billion jackpot for the public sector if we get technology adoption right, that’s twice the size of the black hole we faced when we took office, and it’s not an opportunity we can let pass us by.

“The new findings are also expected to show government departments have been pushed towards bringing in contractors and consultants to complete basic technological tasks instead of full-time staff.

“This trend was driven by weak salaries and headcount restrictions that stopped departments. This is despite them costing three times more than civil servants and eating up £14.5 billion in taxpayer money a year.”

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The announcement of these changes come around a week after prime minister Starmer unveiled a 50-point action plan to “turbocharge” UK AI, called the AI Opportunities Action Plan.

The new changes are to deliver on key recommendations of the plan by transforming citizens’ experience of government services, improving productivity, and strengthening the foundations for how data is used.