opinion - Tech Insight https://techinsight.net Our mission is to keep you informed about the latest developments, trends, and breakthroughs in the tech world, from cutting-edge gadgets and groundbreaking software innovations to cybersecurity and artificial intelligence advancements. Wed, 24 May 2023 13:31:37 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://techinsight.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/06/cropped-tech-insight-favicon.fw_-1-32x32.png opinion - Tech Insight https://techinsight.net 32 32 NHS Is Going Digital, If Keir Starmer Has Anything To Do With It https://techinsight.net/industry-sectors/nhs-is-going-digital-if-keir-starmer-has-anything-to-do-about-it/ https://techinsight.net/industry-sectors/nhs-is-going-digital-if-keir-starmer-has-anything-to-do-about-it/#respond Wed, 24 May 2023 13:31:37 +0000 https://techinsight.net/?p=13422 Care and crisis Ask any Brit and they’ll have an opinion on how the current government handles the NHS. As more and more services seem to be sliced, diced and privatised, it’s becoming increasingly evident that the NHS is shifting further and further away from Nye Bevan’s original ambition for a medical care service that […]

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Ask any Brit and they’ll have an opinion on how the current government handles the NHS. As more and more services seem to be sliced, diced and privatised, it’s becoming increasingly evident that the NHS is shifting further and further away from Nye Bevan’s original ambition for a medical care service that provided point-of-need help, regardless of wealth. Well, it shouldn’t surprise you that Labour’s Keir Starmer, the current leader of the Conservatives’ opposition, has an opinion. If Starmer has anything to do with it, the NHS is going digital… but is that solution just a fragment of a much bigger, more pressing matter?

This week, Starmer shared his vision for a new, digital mode of working within the NHS with the Guardian – if Labour’s leader gets his way, the service will be streamlined. Starmer blasts the current regime: “Tories have run the NHS into the ground with ambulances not arriving until too late, swift GP appointments a thing of the past and more than 7 million people waiting for treatment. But it’s about a lot more than that.”

NHS is going digital – what does this fix?

Yet to the average citizen, it’s not always apparent how the government’s edicts actually affect the outcomes; it’s obfuscated. On behalf of his party, Starmer has outlined a “health mission” that restructures the NHS from the ground up.  Moving from an analogue system to a digital system signals a shift towards showcasing the UK’s flourishing life sciences sector, and utilising an entire population’s data to work on a truly national scale. With so much data segregated, it can’t benefit the bigger picture.

“we are announcing details of our health mission with the clear aim of making the NHS fit for the future – a prevention-first model and a shift from hospitals to the community so that illness is caught early and at home, not late and in hospital.”
– Starmer’s manifesto

Post-Covid care

Starmer points out that more than 30 million members of the public signed up for the NHS app during the pandemic – Covis made it necessary, but we have dropped the ball when it comes to maintaining that momentum. For many, the pandemic brought about a dramatic shift in how we consider our health. As the influence of Covid has dwindled in our public consciousness, so too has this direct, digital relationship with our health. The parallels are potent.
Under Labour’s watch, this app would serve as a single front door to all NHS services – fully digital patient records, yes, but the key is all in one place. Right now, ‘digital healthcare’ might conjure up ideas of self-diagnosis, but Labour’s leader is keen to usher in an era in which, “In one place a patient will be able to book appointments, use appropriate self-referral routes, get reminders for checkups and screenings, receive the latest guidance on treatment and have the ability to take part in clinical trials, something particularly important if you are one of the more than 3 million people in the UK who will be affected by a rare disease in their lifetime.”
These comments legitimise areas of healthcare some of us would rather overlook, and Starmer seems hopeful that a society in control of its own data could ultimately have more control over its health. A democratising of healthcare is a bright idea, but it will need careful management and demands literacy with technology the oldest – and typically most vulnerable – members of society will be resistant to.
Technology has the power to not only empower patients but ultimately, to save lives too. Starmer’s comments hint at a brighter future for the NHS – hopefully, it’s not one limited to any one party’s politics or interests.
Is this the shot in the arm you think the NHS needs? Let us know in the comments!
How else is tech affecting healthcare? Click here to find out more about Dr Tonic’s GP support: Dr Tonic Assistant For Doctors Rolls Out in Europe.

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