techUK news and views Consultation responses
02 Dec 2024
by Robert Walker

Consultation Response | Change NHS: help build a health service fit for the future

Following the Lord Darzi independent review of the NHS in England, the government has opened a national conversation to develop a comprehensive 10-health plan. The consultation, "Change NHS: Help Build a Health Service Fit for the Future",  is a key opportunity for techUK members to impact the course of Digital Health Policy in the years ahead.   

Read techUK’s response to the consultation below.  

Download techUK Response to Change NHS: help build a health service fit for the future

Summary  

Q1. What does your organisation want to see included in the 10-Year Health Plan and why? 

  • Strengthen collaboration with industry    

  • NHS England should be a driver of innovation 

  • Improving Reimbursement Processes    

  • Continuing Reform of the Procurement Processes 

  • Increase interoperability across health, social care and public services    

  • Integration of Services    

  • Clarify the current data landscape 

  • Increase investment in Cyber Security and Observability: 

  • Preparation for Artificial Intelligence 

  • Define the next phase of the NHS App    

  • Increase investment in Social Care 

 

Question 2: What does your organisation see as the biggest challenges and enablers to move more care from hospitals to communities? 

  • Infrastructure and resource limitations 

  • Interoperability and Data Integration     

  • Financial and Reimbursement Barriers 

  • Patient Trust and Engagement   

  • Digital Health Regulation and Standards 

  • Data Privacy and Cyber Security concerns 

  • Lack of Integrated Workforce Plan 

 

techUK members also identified a number of enablers, including: 

  • Investment in Digital Infrastructure, particularly in broadband infrastructure   

  • Investment in Advanced Digital Health Technologies 

  • Interoperability 

  • Supportive Policy and Reimbursement Models    

  • Cultural Shifts in Healthcare Delivery    

 

Question 3- What does your organisation see as the biggest challenges and enablers to making better use of technology in health and care?    

Challenges  

  • Capacity to support change management 

  • Ongoing use of legacy technologies, presenting significant interoperability challenges and cyber security vulnerabilities 

  • There is currently a scarcity of user-centred design in the development of digital health technologies 

  • There is a need to improve digital literacy and leadership across the workforce, policymakers and decision-makers, particularly regarding the future uses of health data 

  • Commercial and procurement barriers  
     

Enablers  

  • Greater clarity of direction at a national level on the strategy for health technology and data would be a significant enabler 

 

Question 4 - What does your organisation see as the biggest challenges and enablers to spotting illnesses earlier and tackling the causes of ill health?    

Challenges 

  • Market Structure and Funding   

  • Integration of Services and Health Data 

  • System Capacity 

Enablers  

  • The UK ecosystem of care is in a unique position to effectively implement preventative care strategies.     

 

Question 5- Use this box to share specific policy ideas for change. Please include how you would prioritise these and what timeframe you would expect to see this delivered in, for example:   

Irrespective of timeframe, there are three areas which techUK strongly recommends upholding as continuous, mainstay priorities:    

  1. Consistent and regular engagement with the health and care technology industry is key to informing future strategic planning. 

  1. The need for long-term strategic direction for the use of technology and data in health and social care which is sheltered from significant diversion or revision following leadership and political changes is paramount and transcends any specific timeframe.  

  1. It is essential that funding for digital transformation projects and the use of technology in health and social care is ring-fenced to sustain progress in the long-term and to protect against the repurposing of resources for other initiatives.  

 

Priorities 

Short-term  

  • Realise the benefits which better use of digital, data and technology offer health and care services and citizen outcomes.  

  • Current commercial barriers which prevent greater quantities of SMEs from accessing the NHS market must be addressed.  

  • Improve the accessibility and sharing of innovations across health and social care services.  

  • The use of AI within health and social care settings is currently countered by a lack of guiding strategy or principles to support the safe, sustainable and responsible use of such technologies. 

Medium-term    

  • Transition the focus of the health service away from a hospital-based towards a community-based model of care.  

  • Cybersecurity mandates at all levels (national, regional and local).  

Longer-term   

  • Review legislative and funding structures which currently prohibit effective integration between health and social care systems.   

  • Upgrading the leadership and culture of health and social care organisations. 

  • Greater integration of health and social care services with other public services such as housing, criminal justice and education.  

 

 

 

Authors

Robert Walker

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