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News ArticleHealth officials have “paid lip service” to racism in the NHS for years, leading black, Asian and minority ethnic doctors have warned as they called for “concrete” action to tackle inequalities exposed by a landmark review. The damning study – the largest of its kind – had found “vast” and “widespread” inequity in every aspect of healthcare it reviewed, and warned that this was harming the health of minority ethnic patients in England. In response, an NHS spokesperson said the health service was “already taking action” to improve the experiences of patients and access to services and was working “to drive forward” the recommendations made in the report. However, Dr JS Bamrah, a consultant psychiatrist in Greater Manchester and national chairman of the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, said he was unsatisfied with the response. “This 166-page review … is a terrible indictment of the current state of the NHS,” he told the Guardian. “As many of us have often said and reported, we don’t need any further reports. It’s action we need, as there are scores of patients who are not getting optimal treatment, and many are being neglected. “It really isn’t good enough for NHS bosses to say that action is being taken and it’s even more disappointing to then not see any concrete proposals on dealing with glaring disparities despite all that we have learnt during the pandemic.” Dr Rajesh Mohan, presidential lead for race and equality at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said it was “time for warm words to end” as he urged NHS leaders to “do everything they can to ensure patients from ethnic minority backgrounds get the care they need”. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 15 February 2022
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Content ArticleThe NHS Race & Health Observatory (RHO) has published a rapid review into ethnic health inequalities across a range of areas. This report is the first of its kind to analyse the overwhelming evidence of ethnic health inequality through the lens of racism. The NHS has longstanding problems with ethnic inequalities in terms of access to, experiences of, and outcomes of healthcare. These issues are rooted in experiences of structural, institutional and interpersonal racism. The review focussed on priorities set by the RHO relating to ethnic inequalities in: mental healthcare maternal and neonatal healthcare digital access to healthcare genetic testing and genomic medicine the NHS workforce.
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Content ArticleThe Covid-19 pandemic exposed the need to harness and leverage digital tools and technology for remote patient monitoring (RPM). This article explores the benefits of RPM for clinicians as well as how it can be changed to improve outcomes.
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News Article
How NHSE’s new transformation directorate will operate
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Six directors will lead the different units of NHS England’s new transformation directorate created by merging NHS Digital and NHSX into the organisation. Documents obtained by HSJ show how the transformation directorate’s senior team will be structured in the interim period until NHSD and NHSX are fully merged with NHSE. The new directorate is led by Tim Ferris, who was appointed last year as NHSE sought to speed up the digital transformation of NHS services. The directorate has outlined 10 draft priorities for the next few years, including ambitious proposals to install electronic patient records at every NHS trust, make electronic clinical decision support systems “the norm” for clinicians, and a huge expansion of virtual wards. The remaining seven priorities are: Expanding the functions and uptake of the NHS App; Increase diagnostics capacity; Data architecture and infrastructure for population health, planning and research; Population health and personalised prevention; Exploiting the NHS’s purchasing power; NHS as a platform for rapid cycle research and innovation; and Redesign pathways using digital tools. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 8 February 2022 -
News Article
Electronic decision support ‘to be the norm for all clinicians’ under NHSE plan
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Electronic systems and clinical decision support software must become “the norm” for all NHS clinicians, under plans being drawn up by NHS England’s new transformation directorate, HSJ has revealed. The massive increase in clinicians’ use of technology forms a major part of the draft plans, seen by HSJ, with the new directorate set to launch ambitious targets for the health service. Other targets include every integrated care system creating virtual wards which are the equivalent size of a district general hospital — around 500 beds each — and installing electronic patient records at every NHS trust. The proposals are led by former US healthcare chief Tim Ferris, NHSE’s new transformation director, who was appointed last year. According to the plans, NHSE’s ambition is to increase the “safe and effective use” of computer assisted processes and clinical decision support so it becomes the “expected norm for all clinicians”. NHS leaders have welcomed the use of virtual wards to improve home care and reduce hospital occupancy, but clinicians have warned of safety issues within virtual wards, with some prominent doctors calling for a careful implementation of the policy. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 2 February 2022 -
Content ArticleThe resilience of health systems and cooperation between Member States have become particularly important during the COVID-19 pandemic. On the occasion of the French Presidency of the European Union (FPEU) 2022, the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies and the General Directorate for HealthCare Services of the French Ministry of Health have worked together to produce this special issue of Eurohealth to better understand how health systems have responded to the health crisis and to draw lessons for improving resilience of health systems. (Available in both English and French.)
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Event
Use of patient records and data
Patient Safety Learning posted an event in Community Calendar
This conference from the Westminster forum will examine the next steps for the use of patient records and data within the NHS and clinical research. The agenda also looks at the opportunities for improved patient engagement in their care, including through the NHS app which enables easily to access their own records. Speakers and other delegates will share experience, latest thinking on best practice, and views on the way forward for addressing key issues. Areas for discussion include: patient data use in healthcare delivery - the current landscape, and priorities for the future electronic health records - including their role in supporting integrated care systems clinical research - the next steps for utilising patient data, and developing best practice digital health - patient data collection, use and quality, and innovation priorities population health - achieving the potential of data collection to improve outcomes security - including transparency on patient data use public trust - digital health literacy and patient control of their own care plans the NHS app - its role in the future of patient-centred healthcare. Register -
Content ArticleOnline patient feedback is becoming increasingly prevalent on an international scale. However, limited research has explored how healthcare organisations implement such feedback. This research from Baines et al. sought to explore how an acute hospital, recently placed into ‘special measures’ by a regulatory body implemented online feedback to support its improvement journey.
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Content Article'What the HealthTech?' is a podcast from Radar Healthcare. A platform for professionals in health and social care to have open discussions on creating change, tackling challenges and making an impact on people’s lives. Each week Radar Healthcare talk to industry leaders, organisations making a difference and their team of experts to share ideas and learnings with you.
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Content ArticleIn this blog for Patient Safety Movement, Pranjal Bora, Head of Product Management at Digital Authority Partners, looks at the ways in which digital technologies improve outcomes and safety in healthcare. The blog examines areas in which digital technologies are currently being used, and looks at the potential future uses of AI and other digital technologies.
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Content ArticleReports from the G7 working groups on AI governance and interoperability setting out how the G7 are implementing their commitments on digital health.
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Content ArticleIn this 'letter', Dr Soojin Jun, as a healthcare professional and a patient advocate, gives her three recommendations to guard "patient safety" in the digital health era. Your end-users are ultimately patients, no matter who uses your product. Healthcare is not binary, and your digital solutions shouldn’t be either. Please look ahead and consider empathy for “patients” and provide solid feedback loops for the “users.”
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Content ArticleThis International Patient Summary roadmap (G7-IPS) supports the G7 commitment to deliver on the rights of patients to have access to their health information, and through using open and interoperable standards it enables this information to be used at the point of treatment or care. The roadmap outlines the component parts required for implementation and the standards which will be used to ensure alignment and interoperability across the G7 community. Although developed by the G7 countries, other countries, should they wish to, will be able to adopt the same principles and use the open and interoperable resources.
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Content ArticleDigital healthcare knowledge and tools can enhance the efforts of patients, clinicians, and health systems working to improve healthcare quality and safety. AHRQ’s digital healthcare research (DHR) programme funds research to create actionable findings on what and how digital healthcare works best for these critical stakeholders in healthcare. Now more than ever, the DHR programme is focused on supporting crucial research that identifies how the various components of the ever evolving digital healthcare ecosystem can best come together to positively influence healthcare delivery and create value for its key stakeholders: patients, clinicians, and health systems. This ecosystem includes clinical, contextual, and patient-generated health data as well as the tools used to manage and apply these data, such as advanced analytics and data visualisations. The application of these data can result in new knowledge, which can take the form of computable clinical guidelines and decision support. The DHR program continues to fund research on how these ecosystem elements and the actors who create and use them can best support the quality and safety of healthcare.
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News Article
NHS given its 10 priorities for 2022
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
NHS England has set out 10 priorities for 2022-23 in its annual planning guidance. NHSE chief executive Amanda Pritchard makes clear in an introduction that many of its goals remain contingent on covid, stating: ”The objectives set out in this document are based on a scenario where covid-19 returns to a low level and we are able to make significant progress in the first part of next year.” The 10 priorities are: Workforce investment, including “strengthening the compassionate and inclusive culture needed to deliver outstanding care”. Responding to COVID-19. Delivering “significantly more elective care to tackle the elective backlog”. Improving “the responsiveness of urgent and emergency care and community care capacity.” Increasing timely access to primary care, “maximising the impact of the investment in primary medical care and primary care networks”. Maintaining “continued growth in mental health investment to transform and expand community health services and improve access”. Using data and analytics to “redesign care pathways and measure outcomes with a focus on improving access and health equity for underserved communities”. Achieving “a core level of digitisation in every service across systems”. Returning to and better “prepandemic levels of productivity”. Establishing integrated care boards and collaborative system working, and “working together with local authorities and other partners across their ICS to develop a five-year strategic plan for their system and places”. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 24 December 2021 -
Content ArticleNHS England has set out 10 priorities for the 2022-23 financial year in its annual planning guidance. NHSE chief executive Amanda Pritchard makes clear in the introduction that many of its goals remain contingent on covid, stating: ”The objectives set out in this document are based on a scenario where covid-19 returns to a low level and we are able to make significant progress in the first part of next year.”
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Content ArticleThis issue of Hindsight is on the theme of digitalisation and human performance. It includes a wide variety of articles from frontline staff and specialists in technology, change, safety, human factors, and human and organisational performance in aviation. There are also insights from healthcare and pharmaceutical manufacturing. The articles reflect the possibilities for digitalisation and human performance, and the challenges for individuals, teams, organisations, regulators, industries, and societies.
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Content Article
The 12 days of digital patient safety
Clive Flashman posted an article in Digital health and care service provision
A couple of weeks ago, I presented some of the ideas I’ve had around digital clinical safety. This was seasonally branded, ‘The 12 days of Digital Patient Safety’. The 12 issues that were on my list comprised: AI – regulation, ethics and testing. Patient safety not built into the innovation process (co-design and co-production with patients is required). Patient safety (in use) not effectively built into the digital health compliance systems. Poor user experience (design). The safety of medical devices, e.g. remote hacking. Privacy and consent around data. Fragmentation of patient records and data. Lack of interoperability. Cybersecurity. Patient digital and health literacy. Clinician attitudes and knowledge of digital technologies. The barriers to EHR integration (and poor use of patient-generated data). There was only time on the webinar to cover points 2, 3, 6 and 10; I hope that we can have further session in 2022 where we can discuss the others. -
Content ArticleDigital transformations are well underway in all areas of life. These have brought about substantial and wide-reaching changes, in many areas, including health. But large gaps remain in our understanding of the interface between digital technologies and health, particularly for young people. The Lancet and Financial Times Commission on governing health futures 2030: growing up in a digital world argues digital transformations should be considered as a key determinant of health. But the Commission also presses for a radical rethink on digital technologies, highlighting that without a precautionary, mission-oriented, and value-based approach to its governance, digital transformations will fail to bring about improvements in health for all.
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Content ArticleA new Information Standard has been published by NHS Digital to support improved medication and allergy/intolerance information sharing across healthcare services in England.
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Content Article
We need to fix it (HindSite, 2021/22)
Sam posted an article in Digital health and care service provision
While ‘human error’ is often blamed when things go wrong, the ‘technical’ part of ‘sociotechnical systems’ often escapes the spotlight. In this article, Harold Thimbleby outlines how hidden risks with digitalisation have far-reaching consequences, and how we can start to fix them. -
Content ArticleDigital technology is transforming every industry including healthcare. Digital and data have been used to redesign services, raising citizen expectations about self-service, personalisation, and convenience, and increasing workforce productivity. The pandemic has accelerated the shift to online and changed patient expectations and clinical willingness to adopt new ways of working. In addition, it facilitated new collaborations both in the centre of the NHS and wider local health and care systems. Together, these changes have enabled previously unimaginable progress in digitally enabled care pathways. The goal of this review is to build on this progress and ensure the national NHS (defined as NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSEI), NHSX (X) and NHS Digital (D)) can lead the transformation of the wider healthcare system, supporting integrated care systems (ICSs) to deliver better citizen health.
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Content ArticleThe Covid-19 pandemic has precipitated a huge increase in the use of digital technology in healthcare. This is a welcome development following years of slow progress in embedding digital technologies into England’s NHS. This Nuffield Trust report explores the approach that other countries have taken to advance digital health. It asks four key research questions: How have policy-makers in different countries defined the objectives of digitalisation within healthcare? What policy approaches have been used in different countries to support and promote digitalisation in healthcare? What worked well, what were the challenges and how were they overcome? What are the implications for NHS digital health policy?
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Content ArticleThis World Health Organization (WHO) policy brief takes stock of how digital health tools have been used during the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to review what has happened, assess how uptake and use of these tools has been facilitated, identify issues that are emerging, and learn lessons for the longer term to support the sustained use of digital health tools.
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News Article
NHS Digital and NHSX to merge with NHS England
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
It has been revealed that both NHS Digital and NHSX are to be incorporated into NHS England and Improvement. In a letter to staff, NHS England and Improvement’s chief executive, Amanda Pritchard said: “As a single organisation, we can further accelerate the digital transformation of the NHS and redouble our efforts to address health inequalities...” Pritchard praised NHSX and NHS Digital for their critical role throughout the pandemic delivering the NHS Covid Pass, Covid vaccine systems, virtual wards and many other innovations. Going forward she said: “Our Transformation Directorate will continue to lead the digital transformation agenda for the NHS and social care at national and ICS level, alongside colleagues from Improvement and Innovation, Research and Life Sciences.” In other major changes, Pritchard also announced that Health Education England is to merge with NHS England and Improvement. Secretary of state for health and social care, Sajid Javid, said: “To ensure our record NHS investment makes a lasting impact, I am bringing workforce planning and digital transformation into the heart of the NHS." “These reforms will support our recovery from Covid-19 and help us tackle waiting lists to give patients excellent care in years to come. Read full story Source: Digital Health, 22 November 2021
