People in England will receive more healthcare online, which will allow them to check NHS records, receive messages from their GP and attend virtual wards, according to government plans to digitize healthcare.
Ministers expect the expansion of technology to free up hospital beds and doctors ’time by allowing doctors and nurses to remotely control some 500,000 people.
The digital health and social care plan, released on Wednesday, also sets out how patients will be able to manage hospital appointments, book vaccines against Covid and have virtual consultations through the NHS app, which now has 28 million people, the March 2023.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said: “We are embarking on a radical modernization program that will ensure that the NHS is set up to meet the challenges of 2048, not 1948, when it was first established.
“Ensuring more personalization and a better union of the system will benefit patients, free up doctor time and help us overcome Covid delays.”
The Department of Health and Welfare (DHSC) said the plan, which will use £ 2bn for digitizing the NHS in the spending review, aims to “save billions in taxpayer money while promoting economic growth and private investment “.
The department said more than 280,000 people have already used remote monitoring at home and in homes for long-term conditions over the past year, resulting in improved outcomes, with problems detected earlier, shorter hospital stays and less admissions.
In September 2024, patients will be able to complete hospital pre-assessment checks from home.
The plan is based on the NHS data strategy, announced by Javid this month, which aims for three-quarters of England’s adult population to register for the NHS application in the next two years. He said this would give them “more control over their own care at home, picking up problems sooner and seeking help sooner”.
Under the latest plan, healthcare teams will also be able to better share information through joint digital health and care records.
According to the DHSC, less than half (45%) of social care providers use a digital social care registry and 23% of care home staff cannot access the Internet consistently at work.
Dr Timothy Ferris, National Director of Transformation for NHS England and NHS Improvement, said the plan “sets out an ambitious vision for a future where NHS puts more power and information within the reach of patients and staff have the tools needed to offer you better, and more joint services for those who need them. ”
Layla McCay, NHS Confederation’s director of policy, said the plan was “an important step” in allowing vital data to be shared more widely, but warned that deployment “will be a challenge and must be done with care”. so as not to aggravate inequality “, inclusive. investing in IT infrastructure and in hiring and retaining the NHS workforce.
A national digital workforce strategy needs to be developed, which will create an additional 10,500 jobs in the data and technology workforce as part of various measures aimed at strengthening workers’ skills and making the NHS an attractive place. to work for digital professionals. How to use digital technology will also be included in university curricula in degrees that shape the future staff of the NHS, while training accessible to adult social workers will be offered.
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Dr Pritesh Mistry, a digital fellow at King’s Fund, said the biggest risk to the government’s vision was the “lack of capacity between the health and care workforce”.
He added: “The NHS and social work staff are already under intense pressure and many will wonder where they will find the time to learn new skills to use technologies, change the organizational culture to work better with technology innovators and avoid the pitfall of implementing them. new technology without properly consulting the staff and patients who will use it. “