The Health and Social Care Secretary, Steve Barclay, convened ministers, clinical leaders and health experts at the NHS Recovery Summit, with the aim of driving forward plans to cut waiting lists and improve care for patients.
Health and social care ministers have been hosting roundtable sessions covering: elective, primary, urgent and emergency and adult social care, as well as bringing together NHS chief executives and clinical leaders from across the country and experts from independent and charity sector organisations. The Chief Executive of NHS England, Amanda Pritchard; NHS England’s National Director of Transformation, Dr Tim Ferris; and National Director for Primary Care and Community Services, Dr Amanda Doyle OBE, were among the leaders discussing the way forward.
Demonstrations throughout the day showcased how technology in the NHS is transforming care for patients, while experts considered how we can go further and faster in embracing new technology to improve access to services.
Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said: "The NHS is a national treasure and it’s important we take the chance to look at its achievements over the last 75 years, take stock of where we are now and look ahead to where we want to be in the future.
"Today’s summit is about keeping up momentum to recover health and social care services, by bringing together key experts to share knowledge and arrive at solutions to tackle the key challenges facing the NHS and social care, from embracing innovative AI tools to maximising the full potential of the NHS App for patients."
Examples of the tech demonstrated at the event included DERM AI, which is being used to assess skin lesions for cancer across the NHS. DERM has been shown to be 99.7% accurate in predicting skin lesions as non-cancerous. The number of people being referred for skin cancer is increasing year on year, with more than 600,000 people sent for a skin cancer check last year, almost a 10% increase on the year before. DERM could help to triage more patients faster, which could reduce the burden on clinicians and help people receive the care they need sooner.
The government is investing in DERM and other technologies through the AI Awards, with £123 million invested into 86 technologies since 2020. Last month, the government also announced an additional £21 million fund to roll out the latest AI diagnostic tools across the NHS.
There was also a demonstration of cutting-edge medical technology that can help the NHS improve care, such as Rezum - a minimally invasive procedure that uses water vapour to treat enlarged prostates, relieving symptoms without the need for an overnight admission as people can be treated as outpatients.
Virtual reality headsets were used to showcase Hospital 2.0 designs, demonstrating what the new, nationally designed hospitals of the future will look like as part of the government’s New Hospital Programme. This includes a design that will be adaptable to a variety of locations, featuring an open and light environment, single inpatient bedrooms and staff rest spaces.
