Just weeks after Shadow Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, accused the NHS of being ‘stuck in the analogue age’ and held back by ‘creaking, outdated technology’, a report from the Health and Social Care Committee has cited evidence that parts of the health service still lack even the most-basic, functioning IT equipment.
Released on 30 June, the Digital Transformation in the NHS report finds reasons for optimism in the Government’s approach to the digital transformation of the NHS.
However, it also warns that previous attempts to revolutionise services using technology have been thwarted by out-of-date legacy IT systems and hardware unable to handle the demands of a modern digital health service.
MPs concluded that a shortage of skilled digital professionals in the NHS presents a significant barrier to digital transformation, with specialists able to command higher wages or better conditions in the private sector.
There is reason to be optimistic about the Government’s approach, but it will need to address the mistakes of past attempts if it is going to succeed
And the report recommends additional pay and bonuses to recruit specialist staff.
The document also notes that many of the Government’s plans on key objectives like reducing waiting lists and improving access to GPs rely on increased use of the NHS App.
However, MPs warn that the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England must clearly demonstrate the App’s continued value or risk a drop in the number of sign-ups.
The report states: “Parts of the health service still lack even the most-basic, functioning IT equipment.
“The Government recognises that ‘levelling up’ NHS organisations’ digital capacity to a minimum standard is necessary if digital transformation is to proceed across the board.
The Department and NHS England should introduce an NHS accreditation scheme for apps, which should be used in their wider communications addressing the risks, and benefits, associated with digital healthcare
“There is reason to be optimistic about the Government’s approach, but it will need to address the mistakes of past attempts if it is going to succeed.”
It also calls for improved training and engagement of staff, stating: “Without wider staff engagement, digital transformation risks being perceived as an unwelcome, time-consuming imposition on an already over-stretched workforce.
“Coproducing digital initiatives with staff – including, but not limited to clinicians – is essential to ensure that these offer improvements to existing working practices and problems.
“The Government must ensure that those working in the NHS have the time and headspace to engage with digital transformation.
“The Government must also address the long-recognised digital skills gaps in the NHS and social care workforces.
“We recommend that the Department of Health and Social Care works with NHS England and Skills for Care to design training in which digital skills are embedded throughout.”
And, despite the increased use of digital technologies as a result of the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, patients also need to be better supported.
The report states: “The department will need to clearly set out the benefits of using technology, as well as addressing risks and patient concerns. This is important in encouraging people to use services such as the NHS App, which the Department and NHS England intends to develop as ‘front door’ to NHS services that can alleviate pressure in the wider system.
As the technology landscape continues to evolve, we’re seeing an increasing number of innovations emerge to help improve healthcare systems and it is vital that organisations prioritise the right technologies to make their digital transformation initiatives a success
“Its success in achieving this will depend on whether it can present a compelling case for using the App, such as when it was used to host the COVID pass in 2021.
“More widely, health apps offer an accessible entry point into digital services, but it can be almost impossible for patients to identify quality apps from ones that present risks in terms of efficacy or security.
“The Department and NHS England should introduce an NHS accreditation scheme for apps, which should be used in their wider communications addressing the risks, and benefits, associated with digital healthcare.”
It concludes: “As the Government seeks to tackle digital exclusion, it should not forget that there will always be people who need, or prefer, non-digital channels.
“The NHS is a universal service and the Government must ensure that it maintains twin-track digital and non-digital services to prevent people from missing out on healthcare they are entitled to.”
Responding to the report, Roland Harvey, enterprise account executive at healthtech firm, LogicMonitor, told BBH: “Faced with ongoing resourcing and funding challenges, it’s no surprise the NHS is falling behind on its digital transformation efforts.
“As the technology landscape continues to evolve, we’re seeing an increasing number of innovations emerge to help improve healthcare systems and it is vital that organisations prioritise the right technologies to make their digital transformation initiatives a success.
“One area that is hugely important to digital transformation is observability. This allows organisations to manage outages more efficiently, helping to maintain uptime for vital medical technologies.
“Automating processes can significantly shorten the time between alert and analysis, enabling teams to pro-actively monitor the health and performance of mission-critical systems.
While some threat actor groups may have moral qualms around attacking the healthcare industry, it’s no secret that the data held by institutions such as the NHS is rich and highly sensitive – and this makes them a prime target for less-discerning threat groups
“And effective integration platforms flag issues immediately and automate incident creation, enabling teams to respond quickly rather than manually logging incidents.
“This frees up practitioners to do more-valuable, strategic work, which is particularly crucial given the resourcing strain on the NHS.
“By effectively monitoring medical devices and the vital sensors keeping them running, the NHS will be able to improve operations and keep spiralling costs down.”
Fabien Rech, senior vice president and general manager (EMEA) at cyber security company, Trellix, added: ““Much of the critical infrastructure that we rely on within the healthcare sector was established long before the integration of more-appropriate hardware and software that is available today.
“Legacy operating systems that were set up decades ago have inherent challenges in the way they are able to integrate with newer, more-robust services and solutions and often software support is not available. As a result, healthcare organisations are unable to update their systems to protect key services from potential cyber attacks.
High-profile attacks such as the famed WannaCry ransomware attack in 2017 show how impactful data compromises can be when the NHS comes under fire from these sophisticated and indiscriminate cyber attacks
““The report reveals that this reliance on outdated software and legacy systems is a blockade for digital progress.
“Further to this, it presents significant security challenges as it limits threat visibility and contributes to the increasing attack surface for threat delivery.
“While some threat actor groups may have moral qualms around attacking the healthcare industry, it’s no secret that the data held by institutions such as the NHS is rich and highly sensitive – and this makes them a prime target for less-discerning threat groups.
“Healthcare organisations cannot afford to be lackadaisical when considering the security implications of relying on outdated systems.
“High-profile attacks such as the famed WannaCry ransomware attack in 2017 show how impactful data compromises can be when the NHS comes under fire from these sophisticated and indiscriminate cyber attacks.”