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19 March 2019
Digital technologies can, and do, save lives and improve efficiency. Conversely, they can, and sometimes do, cause harm - both in terms of patient safety and organisational performance; the ‘productivity paradox’ is a well-known phenomenon highlighted in the Wachter review of healthcare digitisation. This is worth bearing in mind as the country sets off, again, on a programme of significant technology investment – this time to deliver the NHS Long Term Plan. There is an inevitability to this new route march. Simon Eccles, the NHS National CCIO, is absolutely right when he says that “health is the last industry to standardise and digitise”. But we must ensure what we are doing is trusted, safe, effective and value for money - and never lose sight of the fact that the aim of digitisation is to improve the care we provide.
All clinical and executive leaders have a role to play here.
This is all understood in the Topol review on delivering the digital future, in the core responsibilities of the Secretary of State’s new NHSX joint unit and in the objectives of NICE’s HealthTech Connect initiative, which has been set up to support the adoption of technologies with measurable benefits. But there are some important core tenets that we should all keep in mind:
Of course, the NHS does ‘get’ the point of digital technology, but, Trusts and commissioners have a responsibility to ensure they are engaging more actively – both adopting digital technology and working in partnership with technology developers. It goes beyond a readiness to embrace new evidence-based technologies, or to evaluate value for money. NHS organisations must work actively to gather evidence, to measure benefits, and to ensure that where standards and processes are in place, they are adhered to. None of this is easy, but the point is that if you get this right, you can meet the quadruple aim of improving the experience of patients and clinicians, at the same time as improving outcomes and reducing costs.