TELEHEALTH
The NHS must become more energy efficient to drive down costs. National Health Executive spoke toHelen Clarkson from Forum for the Future to find out more.
E
ver since the publication of Lord Darzi’s Next Stage Review in 2008,
the health service has been looking for more effective ways to care for the nation’s health whilst driving down the costs of do- ing so.
The Next Stage Review identified that by moving healthcare into the community, the NHS could improve patient outcomes whilst using its resources more effectively, including the use of technology to increase the energy efficiency of the NHS.
This would involve the use of technology such as telehealth, allowing patients to manage their own conditions and lessen- ing the need for them to be admitted to hospital.
But despite the potential which telehealth has for revolutionising community and pa- tient centred healthcare, there needs to be a major change in our culture before these kinds of technologies can be used across the board, says Helen Clarkson, deputy director at Forum for the Future, an inde- pendent, not-for-profit organisation with a mission to promote sustainable develop- ment.
“We have found that the kind of technol- ogy which the NHS will need to have in the future to allow it to operate in a more ef- ficient way already exists,” she said.
“However, before the NHS can truly benefit from using technology such as telehealth or robotics in surgery, there needs to be a rather large shift in the way that the public perceives healthcare provision, so that patients will more readily accept the use of these technologies.
“At the moment the vast majority of people would not feel confident with simply being hooked up to a machine.
“They just want to see a doctor who they can engage with face to face. Keyhole surgery can also be carried out very well by robots now, but I think people are still very wary about giving technology that kind of control over them.”
This kind of cultural change will not happen overnight and given the strength
66 | national health executive Mar/Apr 11
of reassurance that the public gets from face to face contact with a healthcare professional, it will not be easy to change without a lot of effort.
But how do we bring about this change in culture?
“That is a very difficult question to answer and it is something that we are looking into.”
Despite public scepticism about things like telehealth and robotic surgery, Clarkson says that there are positive signs that the public is becoming more used to the idea of technology-led healthcare.
“The public’s response to the NHS Direct website has been fantastic, which shows that they are willing to contemplate the further use of technology in healthcare, but that this will be a very gradual process.”
Although the public may be wary now,
Clarkson believes that given current trends, the NHS will be forced to use ICT in the fu- ture to increase its energy efficiency, whilst driving down costs.
“In the future, the NHS will face many challenges, both around carbon pricing and reductions in spending.
“This will necessitate greater and more ef- fective use of green ICT both at the trusts themselves and whilst delivering care in the community.
Visit
www.forumforthefuture.org Helen Clarkson
“This is why it is so important that work begins now to change the culture we have at the moment towards the greater use of this kind of technology in healthcare.”
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