Tech in the NHS—A new way to reach vulnerable patients

The NHS recently launched an app. In theory it should allow me to book a GP appointment, check symptoms, order repeat prescriptions or register to be an organ donor—all from my smartphone. 

It seems my life is increasingly governed by my phone, from ordering shopping, paying the electricity bill or booking my daughters’ afterschool clubs—so why shouldn’t my interactions with the NHS be made smoother? 

Yet minutes after following the cumbersome registration process (online banking was never this much of a faff and I registered for that over 10 years ago…) I was emailed a message: “the information, photo or video you sent us did not pass our checks. Please try again.” Computer says no! Entry denied! Looks like I’ll be back on the phone at 8am on Monday morning, waiting “on hold” for what seems like a lifetime in order to book my appointment.

I’ve spent time on the frontline with GPs. General practice really is the jewel in the crown of our NHS, seeing a million patients a day. Family doctors respond not just to growing patient demand but lost hours of valuable time due to sluggish software, slow Wi-Fi and PCs crashing. The Royal College of GPs estimates that 80 per cent of practices are using outdated IT systems.

During his time as health secretary Jeremy Hunt promised a “paperless NHS”—yet reams of paper are still used every day. Revelations that the NHS still relies on 11,000 fax machines costing £137,000 in maintenance shock tabloid headline writers. But it is perhaps understandable when clinicians can’t rely on Wi-Fi and email systems for the quick communication of a patient’s vital medical information or test result. 

Matt Hancock, the current health secretary, announces sweeping gimmicks—“all fax machines will be banned.” Any early enthusiasm he may have garnered among staff soon turned sour as he endorsed a venture capital-backed private health care app—Babylon’s “GP at Hand”—a model which erodes the long-established system of local GP practices providing comprehensive care to an entire community.

Meanwhile the “NHS Long Term Plan” published earlier this year promises a universal right to online consultation by 2024. The question isn’t whether more Skype consultations should be provided per se but rather how might video technology improve access for vulnerable people, for whom getting to see a GP is difficult. Carers who can’t easily leave the house, for example. 

The “internet of things,” with wearables linked to smart phones, has huge potential for the prevention agenda, with patients better able check their health status. GPs will be quickly alerted when a patient is at risk.

Universal healthcare is a public good and a human right. It is the duty of the health secretary to ensure care for the most vulnerable. If we can use technology to widen access, we shouldn’t shy away from that. In government we would work with—and fund investment in—local GP practices to develop their own digital models of care. That means public investment in the NHS after years of cuts to capital budgets under the Tories. 

But there has to be a clear framework for and protection of NHS data too. The potential applications of AI and machine learning to improve the efficiency of health and social care is hugely exciting. We won’t allow our NHS to be at the mercy of private-sector technology providers seeking to extract value from patients’ data, which should be protected as a public good.

Advances in digital technology have the potential to improve patient care and support NHS staff, if developed properly and safely with a clear framework. It will take investment and leadership from government. With the Tories in civil war, that is sadly lacking at the moment.

Read more from our report on technology in the health service