Industry reacts to government’s Digital Health and Social Care plan – Med-Tech Innovation

Long hospital blue corridor with digital medical infographics and charts 3D rendering

The plan includes giving people more access to their health information via the NHS App and website and enabling notifications from their GP as well as the expansion of technology including virtual wards and remote monitoring in a bid to tackle backlogs.

Funding of £2 billion has been earmarked from the spending review to help digitise the NHS and social care sector, and this plan will help achieve that aim by rolling out electronic patient records in the NHS.

Health and social care secretary Sajid Javid said: “This plan builds on our data strategy to revolutionise digital health and care, which will enable patients to manage hospital appointments from the NHS App and take more control of their own care at home, picking up problems sooner and seeking help earlier.

“Ensuring more personalisation and better join up of the system will benefit patients, free up clinician time, and help us to bust the COVID backlogs.”

Chris Barker, CEO of Spirit Health welcomed the plans, referring to the company’s own virtual ward pilot project in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR), which supported 310 patients. It is estimated the project has saved 1,103 bed days and £529,719 in financial savings to date.

“The delivery of virtual wards across England will enable more patients to benefit from quick, simple, and continuous access to healthcare professionals, helping patients to feel better connected and better cared for, all from the comfort of their own homes. Virtual ward technology can lead to reduced time spent in hospital and can even prevent some patients from visiting a hospital altogether – all without compromising on the quality of care that patients receive.” 

Ben Moore, founder of the NHS-trusted video messaging service, vCreate, welcomed the plans and also called for collaboration with industry. 

“For a long time, traditional patient pathways have left many unable to see the specialists they need or facing huge waiting lists to speak to clinicians. The government’s aim to empower patients and give them the digital tools to access advice, reassurance and even a diagnosis remotely will be transformative for clinicians, patients and their families.

The plan’s focus on AI to support the patient pathway is particularly exciting as it reveals a dedication to explore new and innovative technologies. AI and machine learning may be the only way to tackle the current backlog for appointments caused by the pandemic and opens up the exciting possibility of teaching technology to assist the triaging process. If we want to level-up our healthcare services and ensure patients can access the specialists they need, the NHS needs to be collaborating with industry leaders and innovators to research, develop and scale-up tech-enabled service solutions.”

Ewa Truchanowicz, managing director of Dignio, welcomed many aspects of the strategy, including the focus on scale, the roll-out of electronic patient records and standards, but did raise concern over one issue. 

“That focused attention on the development of virtual wards, and the new strategy wants to build on that, to create step-down and step-up pathways for patients who might otherwise be treated in hospital. That’s good, because we don’t need pilots to prove that ‘remote works’; COVID proved that it does, and now we need to deploy at pace and at scale. 

“Companies that want to work with the NHS should be willing to invest in meeting national standards, because they are so important to patient safety. 

“And reducing the number of procurement frameworks should help SMEs, by making sure that commissioners who are looking for best in class systems know where to find them. Finally, I like the strategy’s recognition of sustainability. The last thing we want is to see the NHS digitise and introduce the healthtech equivalent of Bitcoin mining in the process! 

“However, I have one concern, and that is how the strategy will be translated into frameworks and services on the ground. ‘A plan for digital health and care’ talks about forming partnerships with the private sector, which is great, unless rules are put around those partnerships that exclude smaller companies. 

“For example, a requirement for a certain level of turnover can push the NHS into working with a few, big organisations; and that is not good for the market or the taxpayer. So, I’m optimistic about the strategy, but as it is implemented, the NHS needs to make sure that it remains open to the agile, innovative suppliers it will need.”