Digitising DPIAs: Saving Time, Reducing Risk, and Cutting Cost Across the NHS

We’re proud to share that MIAA’s latest innovation – Digitising Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs): Streamlining Compliance and Efficiency – has passed national peer review by One NHS Finance and is now featured in the National Innovation Library.

This recognition affirms our commitment to helping NHS clients unlock real-world savings in time, resource, and financial risk by modernising critical governance processes.

Addressing a Costly and Time-Intensive Challenge

DPIAs are essential for safeguarding patient data and maintaining legal compliance – but the traditional process is often paper-based, inconsistent, and labour-intensive. Poor version control, manual handovers, and delays increase the risk of data breaches, ICO referrals, and reputational damage – with significant financial and legal consequences.

We asked: How can we save our client time, reduce risk, and eliminate duplication?

Our Innovation: A Fully Digitised DPIA Workflow

Using Microsoft Power Platform (Power Apps, SharePoint, Power Automate), MIAA developed a fully digital DPIA solution that transforms a slow, manual process into a streamlined, auditable workflow.
Key components include:
•    DPIA Screening, Partial, and Full Forms
•    A Data Breach Notification Form for timely IG alerts

Saving Hours, Reducing Errors, and Improving Oversight

Our digital approach has already demonstrated significant efficiencies:
For IG Leads and Approvers:
•    Faster turnaround times through automation and real-time tracking
•    Improved accuracy and reduced duplication
•    Eliminated printing, scanning, and email chains

For DPIA Authors:
•    Time saved through auto-populated fields and intelligent form logic
•    Focus shifted from formatting to high-value content
•    Standardised forms reduce back-and-forth corrections

One NHS Finance peer reviewers praised the measurable improvements. As one reviewer noted: “It replaces error-prone, manual, and paper-driven workflows with a centralised, automated, and auditable system.”

Boosting Value for NHS Finance Teams

Now featured in the National Innovation Library, this tool is freely accessible across the NHS and supports the core aims of One NHS Finance:
•    Better use of public funds
•    Operational efficiency
•    Scalable innovation
By removing avoidable administrative burden, NHS organisations can redirect capacity to patient-facing services, all while improving data governance and reducing compliance risk.

Next Steps in NHS Digital Transformation

This is more than a compliance tool – it's a cost-saving enabler. MIAA continues to develop intelligent, low-code innovations that support safer, smarter, and more sustainable healthcare. We’re proud to be helping NHS organisations work faster, smarter, and safer – and this is just the beginning.