In letters sent today to the Secretary of State for Education,
the Rt. Hon. CBE, MP and
the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, the Rt. Hon.
, MP, the cross-party House of
Lords COVID-19 Select Committee has asked the Government to
assess certain aspects of the provision of effective online
healthcare and teaching services.
The Committee recently undertook a
wide-ranging inquiry into how the pandemic has accelerated
the use of, and reliance on, digital technology; thereby
leapfrogging society into a hybrid future existence where real
life and remote services are delivered side by side. During the
inquiry the Committee frequently heard evidence that GPs and
other health professionals and teachers often lacked the skills
and equipment to operate effectively via the remote online space.
In following up this issue, the Committee has asked both
Secretaries of State for details as to how each department is
monitoring the extent to which health professionals have both the
equipment and skills necessary to provide remote consultations as
part of hybrid delivery of healthcare; and teachers have both the
equipment and skills necessary to educate effectively in a hybrid
learning environment where they will need to be “digital
teachers”.
, Chair of the COVID-19 Committee
said;
“At the conclusion of our recent inquiry, it became evident that
due to the pandemic, society has been catapulted headlong into a
hybrid world where services are delivered in various mixes of
online and offline ways.
“This hybrid world is here to stay; the last year has made this
irreversible, and while some services are better and operate more
effectively for some sections of society, there are many other
vulnerable and disadvantaged people for whom this is not the
case.
“We look forward to receiving the Government’s responses to the
wider recommendations made in our April 2021 report. In the
meantime, we urge the Government to respond to the specific
questions raised in our letters and outline its plans to ensure
that healthcare professionals and teachers have the necessary
equipment and training to deliver effective services to all users
as part of our post-pandemic hybrid future.”
Read the full letter to the Secretary
of State for Education and the full letter to the Secretary
of State for Health and Social Care.
