https://politicsbulletin.wordpress.com/2016/02/10/digital-health-the-future/
February 10, 2016
Digital Health: The Future? Since its foundation in 1948, the that less money will mean a lesNHS has been a key characteriser service provided. According stic of the United Kingdom. It was to some experts, when looking created out of the ideal that at the NHS in it’s current nature good healthcare should be free and comparing it with services in to all, regardless of wealth and Scandinavia, the UK has probahitherto it has been a monumenble lost 3-5 years already. tal success with many countries across the world striving to repliLast week the UK Health Secrecate the National Health Service tary Jeremy Hunt initiated plans for their own citizens. However, to fund the NHS with £4 billion the past few years have seen in order to “create a paperless the NHS hit turbulent times with NHS”, Hunt wants the NHS to use politicians using it as a political Former Health Minister Aneurin Bevan who spe- technology to its advantage football to kick around at will. arheaded the founding of the NHS in 1948 and that means investing in DigiThe NHS has currently come to a tal Healthcare. stand still in terms of its future projection – it has fallen behind the health services of various Scan- The Present dinavian countries and according to research by In basic terms, Digital Health is essentially the use The Kings Fund, by 2020, Britain’s spending on its of technology and communication networks to health service will be £43 billion less a year than improve the service offered by heath providers the average spent by its European counterparts for the care of patients and the population. Insuch as France and Germany. Britain’s GDP in- novators in the field of digital health are focused vestment into its health system is at an all time on using new technology to improve the healthlow and because of this critics have labeled Bri- care experience for both healthcare staff and tain the “sick person of Europe.” patients. So why is the NHS in decline? Well firstly it costs the government and indeed the tax payer well over £100 billion to fund the NHS each year – compare this with the cost to run the NHS in 1948 which, after adjusting for inflation was roughly £9 billion at today’s value. As aforementioned, the British government is planning on spending less of its GDP per year on its National Health Service compared to previous years and there is no doubt
According to one innovator in the field of digital health, Peter Ohnemus, the UK must ‘rectify its strategy on digital health,’ he said: “The UK has lost a lot of time and money as there is not a clear digital health strategy within the NHS. This has to change very rapidly or the NHS will have very serious financial and delivery problems – this cannot be in any UK politicians or citizens interest.”
Page 1