Delivering improvement in NHS productivity

Senior politicians and NHS executives accept that healthcare technology can assist with transformational improvements for the NHS. The improvements will deliver higher productivity, safer care and substantial cost savings. To enable technology to deliver transformational changes requires the Government to not only inject capital, but also to have an approach that is inclusive of NHS stakeholders (clinicians, nurses, scientists, engineers, and managers, etc).

These stakeholders hold the knowledge required to jointly deliver a transformational technological solution but, unfortunately, although there is momentum, we must ensure that the processes and policies that guide the transformation are properly thought through. Although senior politicians and NHS executives are focusing on technology to deliver transformational improvements, there is a concern that portable and fixed assets (that are used by stakeholders) have not been properly considered as part of this technological transformation.

At present, the NHS has an ageing fleet of portable and fixed assets which do not connect with any IT systems. It is imperative to consider the impact that modern medical equipment (with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity) can have on reducing the amount of administration that nurses, doctors, and other stakeholders spend inputting data manually. Modern devices are capable of automatically inputting data from portable and fixed devices into medical records without the need for manual data entry. This requires investment in new medical technology and implementation of new ways of working. As Dr Peter Melton, co-chair NHS Commissioning Assembly, said: “Technology alone can’t deliver a transformation in care, but when embedded in a wider package of care and new ways of working, the combined innovation can have a powerful impact on improving patient outcomes and reducing inequality.” (NHS Commissioning Assembly, 2015)