Live from the Intellect/Payments Council ‘Driving Change in Payments 2011′ Conference, Philip Cullum, Deputy Chief Executive of Consumer Focus has set out that its disappointing that there has been little progress in the development of alternative payments systems in the UK to date. The banks, also, have not got off lightly – with the implementation of Faster Payments varying wildy in quality and comprehension across numerous high street banks.
Just listened to Intellect’s Director General, John Higgins, speak at the inaugural Intellect/Payments Council ‘Driving Change in Payments 2011′ Conference. Good speech, warmly recieved by what looks like almost 150 attendees (plus or minus, the Victoria Line has once again reaped its terrible vengeance). Key points include:
Intellect fully believes that the NHS needs modern information communication technologies (ICT) to improve the quality of patient care and to improve the way the NHS plans and delivers services. The NAO report and PAC hearing these last seven days have stirred quite a lot of debate regarding the future of ICT in healthcare. With the challenges facing the NHS we therefore need to demonstrate the benefits of ICT and how to do it right. Intellect is setting out the core principles that should guide the next phase of ICT in healthcare.
Intellect director general John Higgins said Tuesday that health ICT should be locally owned, use proven solutions to achieve the main transformation required, and that the user needs of clinicians and managers are brought in from the beginning.
How to do ICT right in the NHS
I’m at the Kings Fund conference centre this morning listening to some incisive speakers ay the Intellect/Payments Council joint conference – Driving Change in Payments 2011 and will, over the course of the day, be reporting some of the highlights, in almost real time.
The conference is the first of its kind – in that it is not looking at what shiny new payments mechanisms are coming to market. Instead is more focused upon getting all concerned parties – from technology vendors, banks, mobile operators, consumers, retailers, charities and many more – in the same room at the same time and learning more about what the current obstacles to the uptake of new, technology-enabled payments mechanisms are. How you pay for ‘stuff’ affects everyone. Therefore everyone has a stake and has concerns, objectives and an idea of what the future of payments looks like. During the duration of this conference, we’ll hear from many of these stakeholders and by the end of the day, hopefully, we’ll have the starting point for a new period of ‘concerted collaboration’.
Watch this space over the course of the day.
The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee today published a report on public procurement & innovation. We submitted a written response to the committee back in December and have been eagerly waiting for the conclusions of the inquiry. We are pleased to see that the committee has recognised some of the key points we highlighted in our submission. I would like to take this opportunity to highlight three of our key arguments:
‘Owning a slice of the new value chain’ will the first topic debated at this year’s Intellect CE conference on 05 July 2011.
In the digital age, companies need to re-think how they deliver value to their customers. Traditionally, retailers were adding value through customer services, giving advice on the products and direct sales. These days, consumer can choose to do all of that online, cutting the ‘middleman’ out. However, the role is not being eliminated completely – it is changing and companies need to realise quickly how to adapt to those changes. Those that ‘make the right moves can tap into $10 billion in revenue opportunities made possible by the growth of digital electronic entertainment. Those that don’t will be left on the sidelines.’ (Source: http://www.instat.com/promos/10/IN1004828WHT.asp)
When thinking of what electronically brings value to your product of service, a wide range of opportunities emerge. You may develop new business models that generate revenues from previously undiscovered sources. Companies need to ask themselves how to improve the customer experience if they choose to buy online. What would bring the best possible value?
This new value chain is still largely uncharted territory. If you have experience of re-structuring your business to take advantage of digital opportunities – please share you tips here!
The Hargreaves Report, published this week, has gone some way to protecting what is the lifeblood of the technology industry. Yet we have to wonder, has it actually gone far enough? This review, after all, was undertaken because the UK was so far behind the curve in its approach to providing an appropriate legal framework for innovative technology start-ups to flourish. The Hargreaves report was nicknamed the ‘Google review’ after said internet behemoth famously said that they would have been unable to establish themselves in the UK because of our outdated copyright laws.
One of the focus sessions at Intellect’s CE conference, will concentrate on ultra-mobile devices. We will discuss prolific growth of tablets and smartphones and their role in shaping the future of digital entertainment. Let’s start an online debate on smartphones first!
Intellect’s JESICA Chair Terry Skinner today gave oral evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee Inquiry into the New Landscape of Policing. (more…)
On Friday (13 May) Intellect hosted a breakfast briefing for members with Our Team 2012.
Our Team 2012 presented by Visa is an initiative designed to support 1,200 British athletes on their journey towards London 2012. A programme has been designed specifically for medium-sized businesses, called Our Team 2012, to show their support to the Games and our British athletes. (more…)
