‘NHS Passports’ to help staff work flexibly and cut admin costs

NHS England | September 2019 |‘NHS Passports’ to help staff work flexibly and cut admin costs

Health service staff in England will be able to move seamlessly between sites in a bid to make it easier to take on new roles, plug gaps in staffing and improve patients’ care.

Following successful pilot projects, all hospitals in England are being urged to sign-up to passporting agreements, which will cut the need for up to two-day inductions and other admin when staff move between organisations.

All clinicians working in hospitals that have these agreements will be able to move across different NHS sites to offer care to patients before returning to their main trust.

The scheme is part of a package of measures to be set out today by the NHS’ chief people officer at a conference in Manchester, in moves to build a workforce to deliver the Long Term Plan (Source: NHS England).

Read the full news story from NHS England 

England’s top nurse to recruit NHS ‘social media influencers’ to extend the reach of NHS App

NHS England | September 2019| England’s top nurse to recruit NHS ‘social media influencers’ to extend the reach of NHS App

The search is on for nurses and other health professionals across England to become the face of the NHS App on social media and in their communities, helping people to take back control of their own health.

Chief nursing officer for England, and Lead ambassador for the NHS App, Ruth May, said: “The best advert for our NHS is our extraordinary staff who continue to be the envy of the world, and with some of our leading lights soon to be promoting the next generation of health care tech across social media, the benefits of the NHS App will be experienced by even more people across England.

“The NHS App is transforming people’s experience of our health service, making it more convenient and available at the touch of a button, and as it continues to grow and improve, it will increasingly play a leading role in how we meet the ambitions set out in the NHS Long Term Plan, to help people stay well and manage their long-term conditions, and give new mums and their babies the very best start in life.

“So it’s time now to get the word out, and that’s where frontline NHS staff come in – whether it’s acting as social media influencers or using good old-fashioned word of mouth, our search is on for nurses, doctors and other members of staff who are passionate about helping people make the most of this new and exciting advance.”

England’s Chief Nursing Officer, Ruth May, today launched the drive to find 10 passionate NHS ambassadors including nurses, midwives, allied health professionals and doctors to promote the use of the new app, which marks a step change in how people are able to engage with the NHS and access their medical records.

First launched in January, NHS App is now available to the vast majority of people across England, and particularly useful for people who use NHS services regularly, including those with long-term health conditions and pregnant women.

Read the full story from NHS England

 

Life-changing treatment on the NHS for children with rare, deadly disease

NHS England | September 2019 | Life-changing treatment on the NHS for children with rare, deadly disease

Children in England with a rare condition which leads to early death are set to receive treatment on the NHS, after the health service struck a deal with manufacturers.

Young people with Batten Disease – an incurable illness which affects the nervous system, causing seizures, visual impairment, mobility loss and early death – will now be offered a drug to slow the onset of sickness.

Batten Disease usually starts in childhood, with an estimated 25 – 40 children living with the condition in England (Source: NHS England).

Read the full story from NHS England

Making new technologies work for everyone

This month’s newsletter from the Health Foundation explores the different impacts of automation,  Artificial Intelligence and data-driven technologies on health and health care

While automation has been with us since the Industrial Revolution, recent advances in artificial intelligence and robotics are pushing the boundaries of what can be automated. In this blog from the Health Foundation, Tim Horton and Tom Hardie look at what this means for the future of our health and health services.

Full article: Making new technologies work for everyone

Which health care jobs are the most likely to be affected by automation?

The Health Foundation |September 2019 | Which health care jobs are the most likely to be affected by automation?

Much has been written about the likely impact of automation and particularly the potential for job displacement.  Now in a new release The Health Foundation considers: which health care jobs are the most likely to be affected by automation?

In health and social care, ONS (Office for National Statistics) analysis suggests medical practitioners have an estimated risk of automation of 18%, compared to over 50% risk for care workers and home carers. 

 

Image source: health.org.uk

Key points

• The automation of work will impact the future labour market. Office for National Statistics (ONS) analysis suggests that 7.4% of jobs in England are at high risk of automation (defined as 70% chance of being automated).
• The ONS analysis estimates that medical practitioners have an 18% probability of automation, compared to over 50% probability for care workers and home carers.
• However there is optimism about opportunities technology could bring too, such as creating new roles. There are also limits to the tasks that technology can perform—human skills, intelligence and perception are likely to be of enduring value

The briefing also indicates that while there will be some job displacement of the jobs we currently have; as some roles are replaced, others will be adapted and integrated with technology, and new ones will be created. As automation replaces routine tasks, people could be freed to undertake more rewarding work — as has been illustrated, for instance, through research on automation in primary care (Source: The Health Foundation).

Read the full article from The Health Foundation 

You can explore the analysis from the ONS here

Do no harm: a roadmap for responsible machine learning for health care

Wiens, J. |2019| Do no harm: a roadmap for responsible machine learning for health care| Nature medicine|1-4.

A new article in the journal Nature Medicine presents a framework, context and ultimately guidelines for accelerating the translation of machine learning-based interventions in health care. To be successful, translation will require a team of engaged stakeholders and a systematic process from beginning (problem formulation) to end (widespread deployment).

Interest in machine-learning applications within medicine has been growing, but few studies have progressed to deployment in patient care.

Image source: Wiends et al, 2019

Abstract

Interest in machine-learning applications within medicine has been growing, but few studies have progressed to deployment in patient care. We present a framework, context and ultimately guidelines for accelerating the translation of machine-learning-based interventions in health care. To be successful, translation will require a team of engaged stakeholders and a systematic process from beginning (problem formulation) to end (widespread deployment).

The full article is available from Nature Medicine 

Manchester study: Smartphones could transform patient care

University of Manchester | August 2019 |Smartphones could transform patient care, finds study 

A smartphone app used remotely to provide information on parents with arthritis could have the potential to transform the care of patients with long-term conditions reports a study now published in the journal Rheumatology.

Remote Monitoring of Rheumatoid Arthritis (REMORA) study designed and tested a system to support clinical care and research, enabling people living with RA to report daily symptoms using a smartphone app with data integrated into the electronic health record (EHR). The study  evaluated the system’s acceptability and feasibility including exploration of participants’ views and experiences of remote monitoring, with specific focus on how integration of smartphone data into the EHR in graphical format influenced consultation

A sample of 20 patients’ data from the app was uniquely integrated into their EHR at their hospital, with the data summarised as a graph visible at their outpatient visit.

The app, jointly designed by patients, clinicians and researchers, allowed patients to input what symptoms they were experiencing each day and the impact it had on their lives.

Their doctors used the data generated by the app when carrying out face to face consultations.

The system provided a “bigger picture” than doctors would otherwise get, capturing “symptoms that would otherwise have been missed”.

And the graphs generated by the app made it easier for patients to participate in consultations and treatment, enabling a shared discussion between the patient and their doctor (Source: University of Manchester).

The authors’ report that:

• Daily remote monitoring using a smartphone app was viewed positively by patients and completed regularly.
• Graphs of patients’ daily data identified changes in disease that would otherwise have been missed.
• Patients valued consultations being focused around their own data, supporting person-centred care.

Read the full news story from University of Manchester

Abstract

Objectives

To establish the acceptability and feasibility of collecting daily patient-generated health data (PGHD) using smartphones and integrating PGHD into the electronic health record, using the example of RA.

Methods

The Remote Monitoring of RA smartphone app was co-designed with patients, clinicians and researchers using qualitative semi-structured interviews and focus groups, including selection of question sets for symptoms and disease impact. PGHD were integrated into the electronic health record of one hospital and available in graphical form during consultations. Acceptability and feasibility were assessed with 20 RA patients and two clinicians over 3 months. A qualitative evaluation included semi-structured interviews with patients and clinicians before and after using the app, and audio-recordings of consultations to explore impact on the consultation. PGHD completeness was summarized descriptively, and qualitative data were analysed thematically.

Results

Patients submitted data on a median of 91% days over 3 months. Qualitative analysis generated three themes: RA as an invisible disease; providing the bigger picture of RA; and enabling person-centred consultations. The themes demonstrated that the system helped render patients’ RA more visible by providing the ‘bigger picture’, identifying real-time changes in disease activity and capturing symptoms that would otherwise have been missed. Graphical summaries during consultations enabled a more person-centred approach whereby patients felt better able to participate in consultations and treatment plans.

Conclusion

Remote Monitoring of RA has uniquely integrated daily PGHD from smartphones into the electronic health record. It has delivered proof-of-concept that such integrated remote monitoring systems are feasible and can transform consultations for clinician and patient benefit.

The full article can be read at Rheumatology

Alternatively, download a copy here