Healthcare Roundup

Seven days in the NHS and health IT

Javid makes baffling allusion to Blockbuster and Netflix

Health and social care secretary Sajid Javid has compared the NHS to a defunct video rental chain (City AM). The prime minister’s spokesman told newspapers Javid said the NHS was “a Blockbuster healthcare system in the age of Netflix” and claimed the implication was that the system would not recover from the Covid-19 pandemic unless it used technology to drive “big and bold changes.” Javid’s comments, or a version of them, were made in the Cabinet meeting that followed prime minister Boris Johnson surviving a vote of no-confidence by his MPs. They don’t appear to relate to new policy or funding (The Independent).

Messenger review of leadership published

The Department of Health and Social Care has published the review of health and social care leadership conducted by General Sir Gordon Messenger and Dame Linda Pollard. Reaction has focused on the apparent gap between health and social care secretary Sajid Javid’s comments about the report (Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph £) and what the what it actually says (Health Service Journal £). It recommends better induction and mid-career guidance for managers, more diverse and inclusive leadership, an updated appraisal system, and more incentives for “top talent” to take on the hardest jobs. Think tanks described the report as “sensible” but noted that similar reviews have not led to action.

Health IT news: Gateshead Health becomes GDE; Frimley gears up for Epic go-live, Northampton starts IMMJ Systems EDMS project; Oracle completes purchase of Cerner; Keep I.T. Confidential rebooted for social care; new framework opens for primary care IT

Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust has become the latest organisation involved in the global digital exemplar programme to be accredited as a digital leader. Achievements include involving patients in the design of digital services to manage their health, Digitalhealth.net reports. Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust hopes to go-live with its Epic electronic patient record on 11 June. Epic will replace 200 paper and computer systems in use at the trust and enable patients to access their own records through a portal, MyFrimleyHealthRecord, the Health Tech Newspaper reports.

Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust has started to digitise its patient records by scanning them into IMMJ Systems’ MediViewer. Some 200,0000 medical records will be scanned as part of a wider digital transformation project that also covers the trust’s sister organisation, Kettering General Hospital NHS Trust, Digitalhealth.net reports. Oracle has closed its deal to acquire Cerner for $28.3 billion. Safra Catz, chief executive officer at Oracle, said healthcare is one of the world’s largest and most important vertical markets, and Cerner would be a huge growth engine for the company, according to the Health Tech Newspaper.

NHS Digital has rebooted its Keep I.T. Confidential campaign to help social care organisations improve security and avoid their staff falling for common scams. The digital agency has developed a set of free resources with Digital Social Care to make staff working in social care settings more aware of the dangers of phishing, data sharing, unlocked screens and weak passwords, Digitalhealth.net reports. The agency has also opened an invitation for suppliers to tender to join a Tech Innovation Framework for primary care IT that will replace the GP IT Futures programme and encourage a shift towards open, cloud-based, internet-first systems, the Health Tech Newspaper reports.

Health tech comms for tough, competitive times

Highland Marketing Blog

The NHS is emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic with limited resources to meet the huge pressure it is under. That’s focusing attention on national targets and upping the stakes for health tech companies with digital solutions to help deliver on them.

At times like this, effective sales, marketing and PR campaigns are essential. Highland Marketing co-founders Mark and Susan Venables have some pointers to offer.