The digital pathway for future healthcare

The NHS has had a fair few disasters with large scale technological developments in the past and so it is with some scepticism that the new provisions are being greeted. 

Many Trusts are digitising under their own steam and so small scale developments are effected locally, which has its own impact. The new Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock used to work in the technology industry and is a keen proponent of the benefits which the NHS could accrue. He has already put £200 million on the table for digital development, although as we know this is a small drop in a very expensive ocean. However, we would be foolish to miss this opportunity to start to use far more technology in our work, for as we know this has made our lives easier away from work. 

The Royal College of Nursing undertook a consultation regarding technology in healthcare which is worth reporting1 some of the barriers to developments which were significant. Anyone currently working on the wards of acute care hospitals will be familiar with the reported difficulties which cited that, “My Trust is just upgrading from Windows XP to Windows 7 (an operating system which is already more than ten years out of date). Many of our computers are so old, the upgrade cannot take place. I hate to think how much nursing time is wasted waiting for computers to switch on, load emails, bring up blood results etc. There are rarely enough computers to match demand....” and “the biggest barrier to any system, be it electronic or paper- based, is chronic understaffing. If staff haven’t time to take a break, use the bathroom and are struggling to deliver patient care, they will find it difficult to engage with and learn new systems.”