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Published: Friday, 01 July 2022 08:06

Written by Peter Ingle

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The publication of the government policy paper “A plan for digital health and social care” may make uneasy reading for GDP’s. Despite this it is likely to be a good indicator of priorities for the Health Service and reform, in the next few years. 

A government on the back foot needs some positive announcements, and the public care deeply about the NHS. The Health Secretary, Sajid Javid, is a potential leadership candidate for his party, and has already shown that he would like the top job. Should the PM decide to spend more time with his families, improving public opinion about his party’s stewardship of the NHS would be a huge advantage for Mr Javid. That is the same Sajid Javid who had recently said that the NHS, “doesn’t need more money.” The chosen way to improve the NHS without increasing spending would appear to be a digital transformation.

In his forward to, “A plan for digital health and social care,” Sajid Javid begins, “We are now embarking on a transformative programme of reforms.”  He goes on to say that that, “digital transformation must be the linchpin upon which all of these reforms are based.” He also refers to “the brilliant advances we have made during the pandemic,” and as an example quotes the figure of 28 million users of the NHS App. Indeed, “The NHS App will be at the heart of these plans. We saw during the pandemic how people grasped the opportunity to have healthcare at their fingertips. I am determined to make this app the front door to NHS services.”

A second forward by Dr Timothy Ferris, National Director of Transformation, refers to the importance of having the correct data and tools, as emphasised by the Covid-19 experience.

A summary makes clear that “Digital transformation of health and social care is a top priority for the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England (NHSE). The system’s long-term sustainability depends on it.”

There are 4 goals for the reforms identified by the Secretary of State. The system will be equipped to:

• prevent people’s health and social care needs from escalating
• personalise health and social care and reduce health disparities
• improve the experience and impact of people providing services
• transform performance

The document goes on to describe both how this digitised future will be achieved, and how service users will experience it. Some key features include:

• The expectation  that, by March 2025, all clinical teams in an ICS (Integrated Care System) will have appropriate and secure access to a complete view of a person’s health record, including their medications and key aspects of their history.
• To increase the functionality of the NHS App and website to offer features that help people stay well, get well, and manage their health.
• Scaling digital health self-help, diagnostics and therapies, to include supporting rapid uptake across the health and social care sectors of proven, easy-to-use and safe digital products.

It adds that:

• There will be more digital elements in forthcoming strategies and 10-year plans – in particular those covering dementia, health disparities, mental health, cancer, urgent and emergency care, and women’s health.
• The preferred entry point to this new world, the NHS App, will interact with the NHS and those receiving personalised services. 75% of adults are to be registered for the NHS App by March 2024, and will be benefitting from an array of new features.
• Initial prevention priorities will focus on blood pressure management and vaccine bookings and reminders, and this will be followed by targeted digital health checks. It is expected that the prevention offer, over time, will reduce demand for traditional NHS services and allow for a more efficient use of estates.

To encourage uptake within the NHS the document speaks of, “Using our regulatory levers,” and these will; signal that digitisation is a priority, identify the non-negotiable standards of digital capability, as well as monitoring and supporting compliance.

The paper goes on to set out a “vision for a digital future.”  There is the expectation that local versions of this vision will be realised everywhere by March 2028.

Readers are then transported to 2028 and introduced to Abdul, Sarah and Kris, who are three service users. They have a wide range of healthcare needs, including social care, emergency care and surgery, maternity services, mental health, child development, diabetes and blood pressure monitoring. In each case it is explained how they will benefit from a digitised NHS.

Further developments for the NHS App and NHS.uk website are to be built around a triple vision – that together they will help people to:

• manage their health (and social care)
• stay well
• get well

A  ‘national digital channels roadmap’ then sets out examples of how the App and website will be used in different services including; pharmacy’s, making GP and hospital appointments, sexual health services, children’s health, recording vaccination history, women’s health, mental health, blood pressure and diabetic services and monitoring, as well as flu vaccination, maternity services and social care.

Two participants in primary care are almost forgotten and not mentioned in the variety of examples and timelines. That is, apart from the ambition that from December 2022, it will be possible to, “find enhanced information online about my local dentists and opticians and see what services they can offer me.”

A plan for digital health and social care - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

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