December 2022
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This conference examined next steps for digital health and social care in England.
It was an opportunity to discuss the DHSC Plan for Digital Health and Social Care and the Data Saves Lives strategy, alongside the Goldacre Review of the use of health data in clinical research.
It came with the Department and Health and Social Care announcing the merger between NHS Digital and NHS England will be pushed forward to accelerate efforts for digital transformation and increased health data sharing and use in the NHS.
We also expected discussion on the direction of policy in this area under a new prime minister, with the focus on the use of digital systems and data - in areas such as improving patient access to GP appointments, promulgation of data, and support for carers - that is included in Our plan for patients published by Secretary of State Thérèse Coffey MP.
Delegates assessed:
- the role of digital technologies in supporting the delivery of integration and addressing care backlogs
- priorities for developing the necessary infrastructure
- issues surrounding data protection and cybersecurity
Overall, areas for discussion included:
- digital health strategy: what will be needed to meet ambitions laid out in the Plan and strategy - priorities for NHS and government policy in this area with a new health secretary in place
- transformation: delivery at the system level - addressing digital maturity challenges, and options for channelling investment to enable interoperability between health and social care
- priorities for innovation:
- health care - how technology could most help in areas such as addressing elective care backlogs, reducing administrative burdens for clinicians, and building efficiency in service delivery
- social care - key areas for investment - how can national strategy best support innovation to support advances in social care - options for remote monitoring in workforce efficiencies
- workforce: training and best practice for engagement with the workforce in the adoption of digital innovation - building confidence in digital methods - implementation in ICSs
- research: the future R&I environment for digital health - partnerships and building Trusted Research Environments - addressing challenges around cybersecurity, and AI and algorithm bias
We are pleased to have been able to include keynote sessions with Simon Bolton, Interim Chief Executive Officer, NHS Digital; James Freed, Chief Digital and Information Officer, Health Education England; and Sam Mountney, Head of Policy, National Voices.
The conference was an opportunity for stakeholders to consider the issues alongside key policy officials who attended from the BEIS; Cabinet Office; DCMS; DHSC; Geospatial Commission; ONS; The Scottish Government; and the Welsh Government.
