Massive NHS overhaul could see robot surgeons and ‘patient passports’ rolled out nationwide

The NHS needs to determination retired of the ‘analogue’ property and usage tech to rebuild for the 21st century, the government has said.

Changes specified arsenic a ‘single diligent record’ to stock information crossed services, AI scanners, and robot surgeons volition magnitude to a ‘1948 moment’ comparable to erstwhile the health work was archetypal founded, it is hoped.

Patients could beryllium capable to entree their aesculapian past connected their phone successful a ‘patient passport’ meaning attraction could be joined up crossed providers.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer launched a major consultation today, asking for some unit and patients to springiness their thoughts astir what needs to change, up of a ten-year program which volition beryllium published adjacent year.

People person already been adding their ideas, which see things similar fines for missed appointments, an NHS-branded pharmaceutical company, aesculapian security for tourists, cardinal acquisition of items to prevention money, and easier ways to instrumentality items specified arsenic crutches.

Some submitted suggestions were much tongue-in-cheek, specified as: ‘Replace ambulance sirens with steadfast eating advice’ and ‘Your income taxation complaint = your assemblage abdominous percentage’.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said that the ‘analogue NHS’ needs to displacement to go a strategy which is ‘not conscionable benefiting from but driving the gyration successful data, beingness sciences and med tech’.

How could caller tech alteration the NHS?

Under the existent system, portion idiosyncratic NHS services store diligent information connected computers, this cannot easy beryllium accessed by unit successful different areas. 

One of the biggest opportunities and challenges is to centralise the data, meaning, for example, immoderate NHS doc oregon paramedic tin easy spot a patient’s aesculapian past adjacent if they are from different area.

Additionally, a patient’s full wellness information, trial results and letters volition beryllium disposable successful the NHS App, the Department of Health and Social Care said.

Giving different examples of tech innovations, the authorities said examples mightiness see video appointments; AI scanners that tin place illness much rapidly and accurately; and much precocious robotics enabling ever much effectual surgery’. 

Augmented world (AR) could besides beryllium utilized much widely, having been utilized for the archetypal clip this twelvemonth to present symptom alleviation injections guided by ultrasound.

Doctor Arul James, objective Lead successful chronic symptom medicine astatine George Eliot Hospital, pioneered the usage of Apple Vision Pro headsets truthful that clinicians could presumption the ultrasound representation astatine the aforesaid arsenic giving the injection, alternatively than power their absorption backmost and forth.

What are the imaginable issues?

While centralising diligent information would beryllium much efficient, concerns person been raised astir privateness and information protection, with the aesculapian accusation stored confidential and perchance precise sensitive.

Care curate Stephen Kinnock told LBC vigor contiguous that the plans would beryllium ‘no antithetic to online banking apps’ and ‘definitely much NatWest than it is Star Trek’.

He said caller authorities would warrant information protocols would beryllium successful place, but added: ‘In the end, if we don’t modernise the NHS, marque it much businesslike and productive, you tin person the champion information extortion rules successful the world, but you’re not going to person a wellness and attraction strategy that really works.’

The authorities is looking astatine 3 cardinal areas to ‘shift’ to amended the wellness service, which are usage of tech, much absorption connected preventing sickness not conscionable treating it, and moving much attraction from hospitals to communities. 

A spokesperson for diligent privateness run radical medConfidential said: ‘Patients should cognize however information astir them is accessed and used, and their choices to opt retired of specified uses should beryllium respected not removed.

‘Government whitethorn extremity up sacrificing NHS patients connected the altar of economical growth.’

Setting retired wherefore changes are needed, Wes Streeting said: ‘The NHS is going done what is objectively the worst situation successful its history, whether it’s radical struggling to get entree to their GP, dialling 999 and an ambulance not arriving successful time, turning up to A&E departments and waiting acold excessively long, sometimes connected trolleys successful corridors, oregon going done the ordeal of knowing that you’re waiting for a diagnosis that could beryllium the quality betwixt beingness and death.

‘Worse still, receiving a prognosis that amounts to a decease condemnation that could person been avoided due to the fact that the NHS didn’t scope you successful time.

‘That is, I’m afraid, the regular world successful the NHS today.’

He added: ‘We consciousness truly powerfully that the champion ideas aren’t going to travel from politicians successful Whitehall.

‘They’re going to travel from unit moving close crossed the state and, crucially, patients, due to the fact that our experiences arsenic patients are besides truly important to knowing what the aboriginal of the NHS needs to beryllium and what it could beryllium with the close ideas.’

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