Modernising a Healthcare Application for Better Performance and Scalability

Discover how Arrk Group used AI-assisted tools to modernise a Customer’s legacy application, supporting a faster and more efficient delivery process.

Our Customer is the largest single site cancer centre in Europe treating more than 60,000 patients each year and the first in the UK to be accredited as a comprehensive cancer centre. They are the most technologically advanced cancer centre in the world outside North America, and have been named, by the National Institute for Health Research, as one of the best hospitals providing opportunities for patients to take part in clinical research studies.

The hospital had been using a legacy application developed in Microsoft Access, hosted within a local desktop environment. This system was used to manage historical patient data, consultation and procedures, job cards and generate reports. Over time, the application faced several limitations:

• Incompatibility with newer hardware and operating systems
• Performance issues and lack of user management
• Limited scalability, maintainability and accessibility

The hospital sought to modernise the application using contemporary digital technologies to improve usability and accessibility, ultimately supporting greater operational efficiency. Arrk initiated the engagement through its consultative RemArrk™ programme, which helped the client explore various modernisation options.

The hospital outlined several non-negotiable requirements:

• The legacy system had to remain operational until the new system was fully stable.
• Data integrity and security were to be maintained throughout.
• Migration activities had to avoid disruption to ongoing operations.
• Compliance with data protection regulations was essential during parallel runs.
• The project was to be delivered on a turnkey basis due to limited internal digital resources.

Arrk applied its Agile@Arrk™ methodology, supported by AI-assisted development tools, to streamline delivery and reduce project timescales. AI-assisted development tools were used to:

• Generate React components and routing structures
• Create reusable UI elements
• Scaffold application architecture

The iterative delivery model enabled early feedback on UI/UX and ensured alignment with user expectations. Data migration processes, including structured export, transformation and relational integrity validation, were designed to support consistent performance across both legacy and modern systems during the transition phase.

The modernised application was delivered on time and within budget.  AI-assisted tools helped reduce project effort and delivery times by approximately 35%. The system now offers improved usability, accessibility and maintainability. One year after implementation, there have been no support tickets raised, demonstrating the quality of the solution delivered by the Arrk team.

By trusting Arrk, the customer can now focus more time and budget on patient care. They also had great things to say, “Working with Arrk has been a genuinely positive experience from start to finish. Arrk’s team was incredibly helpful, patient and responsive throughout the entire process. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Arrk”. Clinical Manager, NHS