Putting data, digital and tech at the heart of transforming the NHS

Putting data, digital and tech at the heart of transforming the NHS
DHSC 23 November 2021

• This independent review from Laura Wade-Gery considers how to ensure a coherent approach to digital transformation in the NHS national bodies. The review argues for a shift in culture, operating model, skills, capabilities and processes to put data, digital and technology at the heart of health service transformation. The goal is to build on progress made by NHS Digital and NHSX during the past 2 years of the pandemic and ensure the national NHS (defined as NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSEI), NHSX (X) and NHS Digital (D)) can lead the transformation of the wider healthcare system, supporting integrated care systems (ICSs) to deliver better citizen health. 
• The review identified 6 areas where the current situation could be improved. Transformation model; Funding and benefits; Leadership; Capabilities; Data and technology; and Organisational responsibilities.

NHS Digital Data Security and Protection Toolkit

Data Security and Protection Toolkit
NHS Digital updated 21 October 2021

• The Data Security and Protection Toolkit is an online self-assessment tool that allows organisations to measure their performance against the National Data Guardian’s 10 data security standards. All organisations that have access to NHS patient data and systems must use this toolkit to provide assurance that they are practising good data security and that personal information is handled correctly.
• Part of NHS Digital Cyber and data security services and resources

FutureNHS Outpatient Transformation Platform

Outpatient Transformation Platform
FutureNHS [registration required]

• “Our long term ambition is to redesign outpatient services so we can avoid up to 30 million face to face appointments every year. We will do this in a number of ways including:
• Embracing technology and offering flexible, timely care via remote consultations.
• Offering earlier interventions and delivering outpatient care closer to home, such as providing First Contact Practitioners in GP surgeries.
• Empowering patients and putting them in control of their follow-up care, monitoring their own condition and choosing when to see a specialist.”
• Includes a collection of Patient Initiated Follow Up (PIFU) resources by specialty

Online services in general practice: patterns of use and barriers to uptake.

Online services in general practice: patterns of use and barriers to uptake
PHE 30 September 2021

• The aims of this project were to achieve a better understanding of the needs of segments of the population through:
• reviewing the evidence relating to the effectiveness of online services to support general practice
• using the Mosaic Public Sector Tool to segment the Surrey Heath CCG population according to their use of online services, thereby identifying groups that are more and less likely to use these services
• analysing the use of online services by the Surrey Heath CCG population to identify any associations between patterns in usage and demographic factors
• conducting insight gathering work to explore barriers and enablers to the use of GP online services.
• The period of data collection was from 4 August 2016 to 3 August 2017

Digital Clinical Safety Strategy

Digital Clinical Safety Strategy
NHSX , NHS Digital and NHS England and NHS Improvement 17 September 2021

• The strategy is an addendum to the NHS Patient Safety Strategy, outlining the case for improved digital clinical safety across health and social care. 
• The aims of the strategy are 
• to improve the safety of digital technologies in health and care, now and in the future and 
• to identify, and promote the use of, digital technologies as solutions to patient safety challenges.

Patient Coalition for AI, Data and Digital Tech in Health

Patient Coalition for AI, Data and Digital Tech in Health
Patients Association 15 September 2021

• A new coalition with members from Royal Colleges, health charities and patient groups has come together to ensure the interests of patients are at the heart of the development of policy in digital health technology. 
• In addition to providing a forum for discussion, this Coalition will act as an independent campaigning coalition, taking forward joint pieces of work and engaging actively to help influence Government and NHS policy on the use of digital technology in healthcare.

Who Pays for What proposals

Who Pays for What proposals
NHSX 31 August 2021

• A description of the barriers to investment in digital technology and how NHSx propose to start to fix them in 2021 to 2022 and beyond to support ICSs. 
• Part of NHSX Digitise, connect, transform: Guidelines for digitised healthcare

What Good Looks Like: Seven success measures for successful digital transformation

What Good Looks Like: Seven success measures for successful digital transformation
NHSX 31 August 2021

• The What Good Looks Like framework has seven success measures which are applicable to all care settings - Well led; Smart foundations; Safe practice; Supported people; Empower citizens; Improve care and Healthy populations. Tools will include an assessment framework to measure digital maturity and an online knowledge base with blueprints, standards, templates, real-life examples and best practice. The Framework outlines what good looks like for ICSs and other organisations.
• Part of NHSX Digitise, connect, transform: Guidelines for digitised healthcare

Harnessing technology for the long-term sustainability of the UK’s healthcare system

Harnessing technology for the long-term sustainability of the UK’s healthcare system
Council for Science and Technology, 23 August 2021

• Advice to the Prime Minister on how government can increase the contribution of science and technology for the sustainability of the UK’s health and care system
• In a letter to the Prime Minister sent in June 2021, the Council for Science and Technology (CST) explores how the government can increase the contribution of science and technology for the sustainability of the UK’s health and care system.
• The UK health and care system currently faces the challenges of increasing demand and pressure on services and siloed systems, and the letter proposes three recommendations focused on two opportunities for change:
• supporting a step-change to improve and maintain population health, centred around new ways of engaging and supporting individuals and communities, enabled by data and evidence
• re-engineering the health system to support integrated ‘pathways’ for prevention, treatment and care to provide better outcomes for individuals

Planning and Evaluating Remote Consultation Services: A New Conceptual Framework Incorporating Complexity and Practical Ethics

Planning and Evaluating Remote Consultation Services: A New Conceptual Framework Incorporating Complexity and Practical Ethics
Frontiers in Digital Health, 13 August 2021 https://doi.org/10.3389/fdgth.2021.726095

• Empirical findings have shown that decisions about remote consultation are fraught with contradictions and tensions—for example, between demand management and patient choice—leading to both large- and small-scale ethical dilemmas for managers, support staff, and clinicians. A novel framework, Planning and Evaluating Remote Consultation Services (PERCS) has been developed which focuses attention on the organizational digital maturity and digital inclusion efforts. The authors also present a set of principles for informing its application in practice, including education of professionals and patients.

Mental health technology landscape review

Mental Health Tech Landscape Review
Future Care Capital 12 July 2021

• This research explores the tech startups deploying solutions for the mental health care market. We describe the technologies contributing to the solutions as well as specific implementations, and the benefits they bring to citizens and the mental health care workforce. The research identified 56 technology companies developing solutions for the mental healthcare technology market. The technologies include active monitoring, talking therapy, non-talking therapy and productivity tools.

Digital Health In The UK: National Attitudes And Behaviour Research

Digital Health In The UK: National Attitudes And Behaviour Research
ORCHA July 2021

• ORCHA commissioned independent research to ask people in the UK what they think of digital health, how they are using it, and if they want the NHS to provide it. It discusses use across the patient pathway (including variation by region and patient groups) and use of digital apps. The report finds that 65 per cent of respondents are in favour of using more technology such as health apps in order to help the NHS.

NHS X Digital Playbooks

NHS X Digital Playbooks

• The digital playbooks have been developed to support clinical teams to reimagine and redesign care pathways by showcasing tried and tested technologies to solve real-world problems. Explore the digital playbooks to find out about challenges faced by people working in different NHS organisations and discover their solutions and best practice. Includes cardiology, MSK, respiratory, eye care and dermatology.
• New digital playbooks - gastroenterology, mental health and cancer.

Digital Innovation for Future-proofing Primary Care

Digital Innovation for Future-proofing Primary Care
Push Doctor July 2021

• This report explores how primary care networks (PCNs) might use digital solutions to create a more sustainable future. 
• Free registration is required to download this report.

Digital Boards - supportign the digital transformation agenda

Digital Boards
NHS Providers June 2021

• A programme to support boards in leading the digital transformation agenda. Delivered in partnership with Public Digital and supported by Health Education England and NHSX as part of their Digital Readiness Programme, the Digital Boards programme is free and available to all provider trusts.
• Includes Digital Leadership Guides; events and a Knowledge Hub. 
• The Knowledge Hub includes Digital Boards: Digital download - a summary of findings around digital inclusion and highlights practical tips for NHS Board Leaders.

Building the evidence base for tech innovation in adult social care

Building the evidence base for tech innovation in adult social care

Institute of Public Care June 2021

• NHSX commissioned the IPC and Ipsos MORI to conduct a review of social care tech innovation. Findings from the first phase of this work, this rapid evidence review, provides insights into existing literature and evidence gaps in adoption and scalability of technology innovation in the adult social care sector.

Evidence standards framework for digital health technologies

Evidence standards framework for digital health technologies

NICE, PHE, MedCity, DigitalHealth.London, March 2019 updated 23 April 2021

• The framework describes standards for the evidence that should be available, or developed, for DHTs to demonstrate their value in the UK health and care system. This includes evidence of effectiveness relevant to the intended use(s) of the technology and evidence of economic impact relative to the financial risk.
• The evidence standards framework is intended to be used by technology developers to inform their evidence development plans, and by decision makers who are considering whether to commission a DHT. Section A comprises evidence for effectiveness standards. Section B comprises evidence for economic impact standards.

See also: What is an appropriate level of evidence for a digital health intervention?

The Lancet v392(10165), p2665-2667, 22 December 2018 [Free registration to access full article]

Shaping the future of digital technology in health and social care

Shaping the future of digital technology in health and social care
Health Foundation 7 April 2021

• A summary of evidence for how emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, smartphones, wearable devices and the internet of things are being used within care settings around the world.

The Data Divide

The Data Divide
Ada Lovelace Institute 25 March 2021

• Public attitudes to tackling social and health inequalities in the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
•  Findings of a telephone-based, nationally representative survey of 2,023 UK British adults, to explore public attitudes towards a range of technologies deployed during the COVID-19 pandemic for health outcomes, including mental and physical-health apps, symptom-tracking apps, digital contact-tracing apps and vaccine passports.

Securing a positive health care technology legacy from COVID-19

Securing a positive health care technology legacy from COVID-19
Health Foundation 16 March 2021

• This long read explores the challenges of implementing health care technologies and investigates patient and staff experiences of technology during the first phase of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. It draws on learning from the Health Foundation’s programmes and YouGov surveys of over 4,000 UK adults and over 1,000 NHS staff conducted in October 2020.