NHS and Technology Fringe Event CPC 2010

Conservative Party Conference 2010

Speakers

Julia Manning, Chief Executive, 2020health

Rt Hon Stephen Dorrell MP, Chairman, Health Select Committee

John Cruickshank, Consultant Director, 2020health

Dr Clare Gerada, Incoming Chairman, RCGP

John Murray, Vodafone 

Summary

• IT and telehealth solutions are needed to improve efficiencies within the NHS and increase capacity for treatment
• Despite the reluctance for change there are many benefits to using IT in healthcare
• Telehealth needs to be driven forward from pilots to a mainstream approach. Government, NHS and industry need to work together to develop solutions

This discussion addressed both NHS IT in general and focused more closely on telehealth, a subject on which a report will shortly be published by 2020health. Whilst we need to avoid the pitfalls from the National Programme for IT of assuming that we need a national-only solution to the IT programme, there are many benefits that can be achieved through the use of IT.

Benefits of IT that were mentioned include:

• Facilitation of measurement and publication of healthcare outcomes
• Improving the linkages between different parts of the NHS and with social care
• Management of long term conditions through telehealth
• Transfer of notes between GP practices
• Choose and book – speeding up making appointments

There is a problem with the reluctance to change to new ways of practice which includes all new technologies such as IT systems and telehealth. Change has never been well accepted and there are still 3 GP practices in the country that still don’t use computers.

What can we do to drive telehealth forward?

• A clear policy commitment and support are needed from government
• Removing blocks such as regulation and improving national infrastructure and standards
• Central guidelines for commissioning, governance, ethics
• Industry need to develop models to reduce cost, such as risk sharing models

How should we progress with healthcare IT?

• Need to move forward slowly, applying simple solutions. NHS staff need really simple, effective tools that work.
• Need to be able to plug into the work of the individual in developing their own health information. This may be done through telehealth or online solutions, but these need to be able to be used by the clinician.
• Need to reuse what national programme has left us – not waste what has already been done.
• Need to look at 40-60% solutions, which are not too expensive and not restricted to one technology platform, rather than an optimum solution. The constant development of technology mean that an optimum solution can never be found. 

we would like to thank the sponsors of this event - Vodafone