Innovation in the NHS: Data and app innovation

Over the last few weeks, the UK has experienced a lot of turmoil as a result of the EU Referendum. Indeed, the Brexit result surprised at least half of the public, caused two political parties to challenge their leadership and destabilised markets across the globe.

In Whitehall, Downing Street announced the establishment of a new Brexit Unit to start planning options on Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union while local councils have expressed concern over the possible strain Brexit will put on already limited resources.

For the NHS, Brexit is also likely to cause concern over the ability to deliver services in the face of possible greater financial strain.

According to a recent survey by Healthcare Financial Management Association, one in five NHS finance managers suggest that care will worsen during 2016/17 while the Health Foundation has predicted that Brexit could lead to a budget shortfall of as much as £19bn by 2030-31.

However, recent announcements over the last year from NHS England suggests that technology could help to streamline many processes in Health.

As part of an ongoing series, over the next few weeks we will look at how innovation in the technology sector – around data, going paperless, smarter working and enabling patients – can help health organisations transform.

Data

One such way to ensure transformation is to improve the use of data and applications in the health sector.

Earlier this month, Director of Operations and Information at NHS England, Matthew Swindells, spoke of the need to create an open ecosystem for innovation, where patients are able to choose applications to own their healthcare.

Speaking at the King’s Fund Digital Health and Care Congress, Swindells stressed the importance of empowering patients to manage their own health without regular need for primary or secondary care intervention.

For this to work, however, patients and professionals need to be able to access and use their data.

Recent announcements from the national data guardian also point to consent for data sharing being held at an individual level, and a new opt-out model being employed. This all supports the idea of the patient, or citizen, being in control of their health record.

What’s exciting is that this is already happening across the UK with the help of Microsoft’s open platform Microsoft Health.

Microsoft Health embraces the HealthVault platform – which has been developed to be an open platform for security enhanced data sharing between the citizen as Data ConTroller and NHS organisations.

With the citizen in control,  – Health and Social Care organisations can promote (or even develop their own) apps that connect to the Citizen’s own data, rather than worrying about hosting, data models, authentication and consent for sharing data that they own and control. The citizen and their data effectively becomes the locus of interoperability between health and social care organisations.

One such app currently using the Microsoft Health platform is the eRedbook which aims to provide accurate up to date health information for parents by keeping a digital copy of their child’s early years health record  including immunisation’s, tests and developmental milestones. Replacing the existing paper-based system, eRedbook not only improves efficiency but also reduces administration for health professionals.

Microsoft Health has also been used for citizens to own their care record in Kent in the context of social care, allowing the individual to maintain independence and the Council’s service providers to deliver services for a lower cost.

This video tells the story of Shirley and Malcolm, members of the baby boomer generation, showing how health and care can be delivered now and into the future using a citizen-controlled health and care platform: