Healthcare
Roundup
 
8 April 2022
 
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Seven days in the NHS and health IT
Covid-19
NHS buckles under “enormous strain” of demand, Covid and staff shortages
The UK government may have declared that Covid-19 is over, but many sectors of the economy are facing significant staff shortages amid a surge in cases (The Independent). Hospitalisations are also rising, contributing to “enormous strain” on health services. The NHS Confederation and NHS Providers warned that the NHS in England is being “weighed down” by the pressure, as South Central Ambulance Service and six hospitals across Yorkshire declared critical incidents (The Guardian). In Scotland, the BMA has warned that the situation in A&E is “dire” and “scary” (The Scottish Sun).
NHS
Health news: health and care levy introduced; Exeter Nightingale back in use
The Health and Social Care Levy came into effect on Wednesday, 6 April. The Department of Health and Social Care estimates the levy will raise £39 billion over three years. Initially, most of this money will be directed towards tackling NHS waiting lists, but £5.4 billion will be directed towards social care, of which £2.2 billion will be used to cap costs for individuals. Exeter’s Nightingale hospital is being used to deliver orthopaedic, ophthalmology, diagnostic and rheumatology services to cut waiting lists. The Nightingale was used to treat 250 patients during the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequently purchased by the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (Exmouth Journal).
Health IT
NHS England issues PIN for federated data platform
NHS England has issued a prior engagement notice for a ‘federated data platform’ to generate information for population health management, care co-ordination, elective recovery, vaccines and immunisations, and supply chain. Digitalhealth.net reports that the commissioning board has split the £240 million project into two lots: one for the platform and relevant consultancy and one for ‘privacy enhancing technologies’. It also says the front-runner is likely to be the incumbent, Palantir. However, NHS England may have to run a public consultation on an extension of Palantir’s involvement with the health service, after losing a legal challenge over the “secret deal” that it did with the company during the pandemic.
Health IT
NHS in Wales launches 111 service
The NHS in Wales has launched an urgent medical and health advice helpline and website (South Wales Argus). The 111.wales.nhs.uk online service and the 111 call line will be operated by the Welsh Ambulance Service. More than 65 symptom checkers have been put onto the website, alongside information on local health services, and the Welsh Government is hoping that people will go online before making a call. The 111 triage service was rolled-out in England in 2013, replacing NHS Direct, a nurse-led advice service. Scotland has operated a 111 service since 2014.
Health IT
Community and mental health trust deploys Miya Flow
Hereford and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust has become the first community and mental health trust to sign-up to use Alcidion’s Miya Flow technology, digitalhealth.net has reported. The system will give healthcare staff visibility of bed status at six community hospitals. It will also enable them to use ‘journey boards’ to manage bed capacity, plan discharge, and streamline patient journeys. The trust will configure Miya Flow to give staff information specific to their location and role. Hereford and Worcestershire Health and Care is a global digital exemplar that is working on an open system IT strategy.
Health IT
Digital outpatient news: from Liverpool and DrDoctor; and Mid and South Essex and eConsult
Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is working with DrDoctor to implement patient initiated follow up across 30 pathways. HealthTechDigital reports that six pathways are live and expansion is planned to exceed the PIFU targets set by NHS England. The commissioning board wants digital outpatient solutions rolled out by every provider to create capacity to tackle waiting lists. Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust is also working on digital outpatients, this time with eConsult. Digitalhealth.net reports the trust and the company have signed a six-year partnership deal develop ideas to triage patients on the waiting list, remove unnecessary appointments, and free up clinical time.
Health IT
Remote monitoring news: from Wales and Spirit Health; and Yorkshire and the Humber and Docobo
Two care homes in Wales are going to deploy Spirit Health’s CliniTouch Vie remote monitoring platform, to try and reduce the risk of hospital admission for their residents. Digitalhealth.net reports that the move is being funded by the Welsh Government and will be used to support patients with dementia and other mental health issues. Yorkshire and the Humber Academic Health Science Network is supporting a new pilot of Docobo’s DOC@HOME technology in care homes, working with local commissioners and care home providers. The Health Tech Newspaper reports that the focus of this project is detecting signs of deterioration in patients whose medication has been changed.
Health IT
Health IT news: from Milton Keynes and the COLO-DETECT study
Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is piloting Empathetic Building, a platform created by IoT provider Haltian that enables hospitals to build a digital twin of their facilities and test-out ideas for making them more efficient. Digitalhealth.net reports that the pilot is looking at the trust’s cancer centre. Nine trusts in the north east and north west are trialling GI-Genius, an AI solution that integrates with colonoscopy equipment to help clinicians detect polyps. The Health Tech Newspaper reports that the trusts are taking part in a COLO-DETECT study, funded by Medtronic, that will aim to recruit 2,000 patients over the next year.
Health tech comms: fit for 2022
Highland Marketing Blog
The UK and its health and care services are working through another period of uncertainty. But when the omicron wave of Covid-19 has passed health tech suppliers can expect a ‘more normal’ 2022. So, they should be thinking now about how their marketing and PR communications can make them ready for whatever’s coming, say Highland Marketing founders Mark and Susan Venables.  
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