The NHS is emerging from the biggest challenge it has ever faced. At the peak of the pandemic, daily Covid-19 admissions were hitting over 4,000, resulting in almost 40,000 Covid-19 patients in hospital.  As a result, the impact of Covid-19 has left no corner of the NHS unaffected. In February 2022, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) reported 6.07 million people were currently on a pre-planned treatment waiting list, the highest level since records began, and this figure doesn’t even account for the “hidden” backlog with projected numbers more like 13 million.  Sitting alongside ..read more

The effects on a digital lifestyle. As you read this blog, access social media, watch television and check your emails, how focused are you on the experience, the information presented, just being in that moment? In a compelling podcast Feel Better, Live More, Dr Rangan Chatterjee explores how living in an ultra-connected world could be making us feel lonelier. Some striking insights explored in conversation with Cal Newport, Professor of Computer Science, highlight: · Digital interactions do not create the same reactions in the brain as human connections, and can leave us feeling more isolate ..read more

What’s the process of developing a new medical device? Medical devices are usually developed to solve a problem, keep pace with advances in technology, improve patient outcomes and experience, or as a response to an emerging medical need. Through each of the development stages, from ideation to launch, insights from target user groups are key. Enabling medical practitioners to explore a device used in a healthcare setting, to granting individuals the opportunity to try the product in a self-care environment, usability, functionality, accuracy and quality can all be assessed through these insig ..read more

We often hear friends or family talk about hitting their 10,000 steps a day target, how their resting heart rate has dropped over time, or how well they’ve slept that night, all based on data generated by fitness trackers and smart watches. This real-time access to information enables us all to take a level of personal responsibility for our own health and make changes that bring about improvements to our overall wellness. A review published in Everyday Health in December 2020 looked at the outcomes of 28 research studies involving over 7,000 participants who all wore a fitness tracker. It wa ..read more

But what is AI? Put simply, AI is the simulation of human intelligence by machines. This machine-led learning allows high levels of data aggregation and analysis, enabling machines to quickly spot trends and deliver greater and more accurate insights. Through this human approach to technology, we are able to see how it can make a real difference in the healthcare sector. How is AI being applied in the NHS? AI is not an aspiration for the future, but a very significant part of healthcare today. Throughout the NHS and overall NHS digital transformation programme (NHS Long Term Plan » Digital tra ..read more

Back in 2019, the NHS introduced its Long Term Plan, a plan that would make the NHS fit for the present and the future so that it could continue to offer high-quality services to patients.  Nobody could have predicted the events of 2020, which saw the NHS completely turned upside down by the coronavirus pandemic. This has influenced the Long Term Plan, but not entirely to its detriment.  The Long Term Plan should introduce a greater focus on digital services for patients, something which is already being seen as a result of COVID-19, providing a ‘digital front door’ to the NHS. ‘The ..read more

The NHS Long Term Plan (LTP) is an outline for how the nation’s public health service must develop over the next ten years to continue providing high-quality treatment to patients. NHS England Chief Executive, Simon Stevens, officially launched the LTP in 2019, just months before the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. Originally, it set out bold ambitions for the health service over the coming decade, including modernisation and action on addressing inequalities. But, thanks to the pandemic, how it will now evolve is no longer as clear cut.  The Drawbacks While COVID-19 is a catalyst for ..read more

The NHS budget is in a constant state of flux. Every change results in a new announcement on what is being added to the NHS and what is taken away. However, it’s not only important to understand that it is changing, but essential to know how it’s changed. Since 1948 the NHS has stood strong in the UK, providing free medical care to those who need it. So, let’s take a look at the NHS and its budget.  How Is The NHS Funded? 98.8% of NHS funding comes from the taxes and national insurance that the public pay. The other 1.2% is made up of patient charges which are counted as anything that th ..read more

If you work in or around the National Health Service, you will likely be aware of the merger between CCGs within certain areas of England. If you’re not involved directly, or just unaware of what’s going on at the top levels of the NHS infrastructure, you might not know what CCGs are, what their role is in the NHS, or what the endgame for CCG mergers looks like. Where is the NHS headed? Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) are responsible for commissioning the hospital-based and wider community NHS services in their local areas. Commissioning involves deciding which services are required by t ..read more

Horizon scanning has been given various definitions over the years. It has been described as “the systematic examination of potential threats, opportunities and likely future developments”.  Providing more detail, the UK Cabinet Office has said that horizon scanning is “not about making predictions, but systematically investigating evidence about future trends. Horizon scanning helps the government to analyse whether it is adequately prepared for potential opportunities and threats. This helps ensure that policies are resilient to different future environments.”  Horizon scanning is ..read more