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

(more…)

Technorati Tags: Intellect Healthcare, NHS IT

The Source London brand will be as famous as Oyster in a couple of years and London will the Electric Vehicle capital of the world. With over 10 million daily car journeys in London it makes a perfect place to take the lead. That is what delegates at Intellect’s Transport and Smart Grid Conference were told this morning by Kulveer Ranger, the environment and digital advisor to Mayor of London. With eight other regional pilots trialing electric vehicles networks around the country, the UK is leading in the world on rolling out networks for various low carbon vehicles said Michael Hurwitz, the government’s Director for Low Emission Vehicles.

(more…)

Welcome back readers. Following Andrew Lansely’s speech yesterday, visitors congregated to a session focusing on patient control and access. Marlene Winfield (Patient Engagement Lead DH) and Anna-Lisa Silvestre (from Kaiser Permanente) gave two enlightening presentations. The session outlined how a patient journey should look like under the information revolution and what needs to happen to achieve this (i.e. how KP managed to get millions of patients online and to use it consistently and meaningfully). When I asked them how the NHS will drive online engagement by patients I was told that it needs to be driven by GPs. And that it will be a difficult but necessary journey for the DH to embark upon and that they have already had positive feedback from GPs.

Pre dinner nicotine kick from CIO for Health

Christine Connelly CIO for Health closed yesterday with a captivating presentation. (more…)

Technorati Tags: Christine Connelly, HC2011, health IT

I’m in Birmingham today, attending the three-day 2011 Health Informatics Congress alongside 1,500 visitors (give or take a few). We had a great session this morning on digital innovation in the NHS. We heard the CIO from the North East SHA and the lead for QIPP Digital and Technology Vision on what is already happening in the NHS and what is to come. A lot of the focus is on communication, information sharing and clinical and patient engagement. It was encouraging to see many in the audience coming from the NHS and expressing an eagerness for using technology to do their job better.

post-lunch wisdom from the SoS Andrew Lansley
Following the political spectacle surrounding the NHS reforms over the weekend where Mr. Lansley “acknowledged there are ‘genuine concerns’ about the NHS shake-up in England” we were given reassurance that no matter what, the NHS needs an Information Revolution….

(more…)

Technorati Tags: ehalth, HC 2011, health IT

Last December, Transport Secretary Philip Hammond and Business Minister Mark Prisk outlined government policy to make 2011 the year of the electric car for the UK. Car manufacturers are lining up new electric cars. Energy providers are looking at the need for a smart grid to accommodate an EV infrastructure network. Many of the UK’s cities have a number of electric vehicle trials underway. But an EV network needs investment, well informed policy, and the coordination of a number of different industries.

On May 5, we are hosting the Intellect Electric Vehicle conference, bringing together government and local government policy makers, analysts, the energy industry, the automotive industry, and the ICT industry to look at the various challenges and opportunities of rolling out a EV network across the UK. The ICT industry has a key role to play across the value chain: from the car itself to the charging points, and all the critical infrastructure in between.
(more…)

Technorati Tags: Electric Vehicle Conference, ICT and EV Network, Intellect Transport and Smart Grid

Yesterday morning the King’s Fund Telehealth and Telecare Congress opened with optimistic remarks from Chris Ham (CE King’s Fund), Stephen Johnson (Head of LTC, DH), and Prof Stan Newman (lead WSD investigator). Although the audience expected some results from the Whole Systems Demonstrator (WSD) programme to be announced we were informed it was too early in the days. DH wants to have all results firmed up before they are announced publicly. Suffice it to say that they look promising. (more…)

Technorati Tags: health IT, Intellect Telhealth Group, Telehealth, The King's Fund

I’m not sure how I should feel about this. Part of me like the fact that the tube is mostly a quiet place where people mind their own business by listening to music on their iPod or reading a book or newspaper. Those days may be coming to an end. We may soon have über-busy city folk taking their business down the red line (literally). Likewise, we will soon know all there is to the lives of teenagers as there will be no escaping it. Yes, we are now one step closer to having mobile phone coverage to the London Underground Tube network. But part of me believes this has to happen, wireless solutions are transforming every aspect of our daily routines. We are increasingly accustomed to interactive, on-the-go access to information and immediate communication through a variety of channels wherever we are whenever we want. (more…)

Technorati Tags: ICT, Telecoms, TfL, transport

In July 2009 I reported about the Aadhaar program – the largest identity program in the world designed to secure the identity of the people of India, which is currently 1.2 billion. The Times article from then said that “it is surely the biggest Big Brother project yet conceived.” Well now a year and a half later the scheme is under way. Over 1 million people have been enrolled since October the Economist reported on 27 January this year.

The Aadhaar (foundation) project

(more…)

Technorati Tags: ID Cards, Identity management, India

It’s been a while since I listened to the entirety of a State of the Union address. Since joining Intellect just over two years ago it must have been one of the most IT friendly, big speeches I have ever heard. Subtitled ‘winning the future’ President Obama focused a lot of the one-hour address on how the US need to invest in innovative technology – information technology, health technology, green technology, teaching technology, even using technology to reform, slim-down and modernise government.

(more…)

Technorati Tags: IT and innvoation, state of the union adress, US and technology

As the deadline for submitting views on a new Information Strategy for the NHS closes today media is already reporting on all the challenges facing the DH in implementing the strategy. Our response and the BMA’s are getting much press coverage for saying the NHS lacks skills, ICT systems and money to drive an Information Revolution. But that’s not the whole story of our responses.

The BMA praises many of the successful ICT developments to date including GP Systems of Choice, GP2GP, ePrescribing systems, and PACs. The BMA continues to say they fully support the empowerment of patients through better use and access to the right information. Intellect’s response goes on to tell the government’s plans for an information revolution is an exciting opportunity to show how the NHS and industry can drive a step-change in health and social care that will be centred on patients and clinicians through better use of information and technology.

(more…)

Technorati Tags: eHealth, government IT, Information Revolution, NHS