Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary will today set out the party’s
plans to get cutting-edge technology into the NHS faster, as new
figures reveal that 79,000 pagers are still being used across the
Health Service.
Former Health Secretary, promised to scrap the bleepers
in 2019, but Freedom of Information requests reveal that 80% of
trusts still run on them.
Only one company in the world still manufactures pagers, with the
NHS estimated to own 1 in 10 pagers still in use. A new pager
costs up to £400 today, meaning the NHS has spent as much as £32
million on its remaining pagers.
Wes Streeting, Shadow Health Secretary, will say
in a speech to NHS leaders in Manchester this afternoon, that the
failure to move on from fax machines, paper, and pagers shows the
NHS is “stuck in the analogue age,” telling the conference:
“It’s a bit rich for to promise to make Britain a
world leader in AI, when he can’t even axe the fax or purge the
pager.
“Staff’s valuable time is wasted, as they are forced to work
around this totally outdated equipment, when they could be caring
for patients.
“There are huge opportunities in emerging technologies which
could change the face of healthcare, but how long will it be
before they reach the NHS?”
Streeting will point to advances in Artificial Intelligence that
can diagnose cancers as accurately as the human eye, which could
free up doctors to spend more time with patients, helping to
address the NHS workforce crisis, as well as cutting missed
cancer diagnosis. Other AI tools can help to map radiation
therapy onto cancer cells more precisely and faster than a doctor
working manually. The technologies are widely used in the USA and
Europe, but have not yet been adopted in most of the NHS.
Breast cancer patients could receive their mammogram results much
sooner, rather than being left waiting and wondering for weeks,
using technology that can spot signs of cancer doctors miss. The
AI has been used in parts of Europe since 2021, but developers
are struggling to sell the technology into the NHS. The
technologies all work alongside radiologists, but can reduce
their workload significantly. The breast cancer screening AI can
cut radiologists workload by up to 30% and improve detection of
cancer by 13%.
Slow adoption of new technology has created a postcode lottery in
the NHS, where only some patients have access to the new kit,
because companies have to sell to each individual trust. Half of
NHS patients are in areas where they can access at-home kidney
tests, which use a smartphone app to detect early signs of
chronic kidney disease. Using an app on their phone and a urine
test kit sent to their homes, it is designed to reduce
unnecessary trips to the GP and hospital by encouraging more
people to seek an early diagnosis. However, half the country is
missing out.
Labour’s plan will include:
- Allowing the NHS to bulk buy the latest technology, so
innovators aren’t forced to sell into each 227 NHS trusts and
products can be purchased for cheaper rates
- Cutting unnecessary red tape that requires new technology to
be re-evaluated by several different bodies
- Joining up data records so it is easier and faster to recruit
patients to trials for new medicines and technologies
Speaking at the NHS Confederation Expo, Wes Streeting
will say:
“The revolution taking place in medical science, technology, and
data has the potential to transform our healthcare. There is no
reason why the NHS should not be leading the rest of the world in
this field.
“Artificial intelligence that is already available can free up
staff, provide better and faster care for patients, and get more
bang for taxpayers’ buck. There’s no time to wait.
“Labour will arm the NHS with the best available technology to
fight disease. We will cut unnecessary red tape and drive
change to finally bring our health service into the digital
age and make it fit for the future.”
Ends
Notes
-
, Shadow Health and
Social Care Secretary, will be speaking at the NHS
Confederation Expo in Manchester on Wednesday
14th June.
- A freedom of information request sent to all NHS trusts in
England found that 79,000 pagers are still in use across the
health service. Just 20% of trusts responded to say they do not
have any pagers.
- Only one company in the world still manufactures pagers, with
the NHS estimated to own 1 in 10 pagers still in use. A new pager
costs up to £400 today. banned them from the health
service in 2019.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/health-and-social-care-secretary-bans-pagers-from-the-nhs
- NHS trusts spent £112 million on postage last year, despite
Jeremy Hunt’s promise in 2013 to go paperless.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/health/21688508/nhs-millions-postage-goal-paperless/
- Dozens of NHS trusts still use fax machines, despite banning them in 2018.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/health/22431913/nhs-hospitals-still-using-fax-machines/
- Examples of new AI technology that is available but not yet
fully adopted by the NHS
red dot ® Lung Cancer Detection
Platform – Behold.ai
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/05/technology/artificial-intelligence-breast-cancer-detection.html
Minuteful Kidney | Improve
Adherence with Home Kidney Tests (healthy.io)
