21 Jul 2022

Digital, data, and technology key to getting Integrated Care Systems right from the start, claims new techUK report

techUK lists five key recommendations for Integrated Care Systems to make digital and technology work for them.

London, 21 July 2022: techUK, the technology trade association, has today published a new report – Right from the Start: What should Integrated Care Systems prioritise to make digital, data and technology work for them and their populations? - highlighting the key areas in which Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) can make a significant impact in driving progress on the most pressing issues facing the service at the moment: tackling the backlog, addressing health inequalities, and the need to improve patient outcomes and staff experience.

Integrated Care Systems are at the centre of the most substantial legislative changes that the NHS has undergone in a decade and have the potential to offer a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rethink how the UK approaches health and social care. Today’s paper, written in collaboration with techUK’s Health and Social Care Council, the wider vendor community, and informed by techUK’s engagement with organisations across the public sector, shares five key recommendations for ICSs, in line with the ambition of the Chief Executive of the NHS, Amanda Pritchard, to make these systems the primary drivers of delivery of better health and services for every community.

The recommendations focus on:

Putting the who before the how: helping citizens take control of their health and care
Putting the why before the what: embedding demand-signalling within each ICS
Putting outcomes before processes: fostering innovation through procurement
Prioritising interoperability and data: driving long-term transformation
Working together: creating an open and transparent environment for collaboration

The report features a series of case studies from techUK members, championing their work in tech and innovation to support the UK’s health and social care system, and it follows the publication of techUK’s flagship report, the Ten Point Plan for Healthtech.

If you missed our report launch, you can catch-up here:

A key strength of the new techUK report is in its recommendations to work with existing structures in vital enabling areas such as procurement, innovation, interoperability, and partnership with industry. The leaders of Digital Health Networks look forward to working with techUK, ICSs and other partners to help achieve the potential of digital and data in the brave new world of ICSs.

Chairs and Deputy Chairs

Digital Health Networks

Talking about the paper, Andreas Haimböck-Tichy, Managing Director, Healthcare UKI, Chair of techUK Health & Social Care Council, said:

“Digital technologies have already revolutionised how health and care services are delivered. Integrated Care Systems present the opportunity to further accelerate how citizens engage with and experience services, as well as enabling staff to work in new ways. Continued collaboration between the health and care sector and the technology industry will be a critical success factor in making this transformation a reality.”

Leontina Postelnicu, Head of Health and Social Care at techUK, said:

“Our Right from the Start paper distills the views of hundreds of technology companies operating across the health and social care sectors that we at techUK engage with day in and day out. There is clearly huge momentum across the space to build on the progress we have seen in recent years and accelerate the deployment of technology for the benefit of patients and staff. Close collaboration between the NHS, social care and its supplier base will be paramount to making this happen. As this paper shows, industry is ready and willing to engage. It is now up to the public sector to match this.”

Shane Tickell, CEO, Voror Health, Vice-Chair of techUK Health & Social Care Council, said:

“techUK’s paper is a demonstration of an industry-wide effort, coming together to offer knowledge, experience, and advice to ICSs. None of us have all the answers, but closer collaboration between the NHS, social care, industry, and academia will bring the opportunity to use our collective skills to help tackle one of the toughest periods since the foundation of the NHS.”

Liz Ashall-Payne, Founding CEO, ORCHA, Vice Chair of Health & Social Care Council, said:

“Our message to ICSs is that the tech sector is here to support you. We understand the reality of the challenge facing our healthcare system and we have the energy, ingenuity, and vision to bring about this revolution in healthcare.”

Nic Fox, Chief Commercial Officer, NHS Digital, said:

“As the landscape of the NHS continues to change and evolve, better use of data, digital and tech will be at the heart of transforming the NHS. The work we do with our partners in industry, underpinned by our strategic partnership agreement with techUK, is a key component in helping us deliver the tech agenda.”

Media Contact: Margherita Certo | T 07462107214 | E [email protected]