Yesterday we attended HETT. We thought we’d share our thoughts and findings in case you didn’t have chance to get there.

The Healthcare Efficiency Through Technology Expo opened to senior figures from the NHS, Department of Health, not-for-profit organisations and the private sector in the Olympia Two in London on the 4th of October.

Individuals gathered to discuss and demonstrate how technology and innovation can help Trusts to overcome the efficiency challenges whilst improving healthcare services and patient outcomes. Here are our highlights from the day.

Kate Jack, Head of Public Sector at Orange UK, started the day with her seminar on “Driving efficiencies through mobile health – a practical approach”. Following the merger of Orange and T-Mobile to create “Everything Everywhere”, the company has become the second largest provider of mobile networks to the public sector. She revealed some of the latest innovations in the field through the use of mobile devices, starting with the “Guardian 24” smartphone app which enables NHS staff to raise alerts when out in the community.

Kate also spoke about an SMS reminder system which integrates directly with the hospital’s booking system. Following the reminder, patients are able to respond to confirm or cancel their appointment, which automatically updates the system to inform staff. This is thought to dramatically reduce the number of DNA’s and the requisite costs of missed appointments. “Technology is not the solution, but an enabler of change” she told the audience.

A seminar from Christopher James demonstrated how North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust had utilised Business Intelligence (BI) software to diagnose efficiencies in their working practises. A cultural change had occurred from the Trust’s previous use of Excel and Access databases containing fragmented information to having the ability to access reliable and real-time information.  The software has enabled the Trust to “stop guessing and start knowing how to make faster, smarter decisions” said James. Data on theatre productivity enabled staff to break procedures down into individual components and demonstrate how much clinical time was actually “productive”.

The future of telehealth was then discussed by Dr Paul Rice, Regional Telehealth Lead for Yorkshire and the Humber. He stated that getting procurement right was the most important driver to change, and that Trusts need to “procure wisely and imaginatively”. “The bigger the system change, the bigger the risk, but the bigger the potential for success” Paul continued.

Telehealth gives patients the initiative to self manage their condition and enables stratification of chronic diseases. Paul spoke of the Telehealth Hub, a single point of access service which aims to deliver a telehealth structure for Yorkshire & the Humber and attempts to provide 24/7 clinical support. Whilst it is an important aspect of healthcare, clinicians may need to undergo a “re-skilling” process, as remote triaging may require a whole new set of skills. Despite the changes required, Paul asserted that telehealth should enhance clinicians abilities to do their job. In order to drive change, in some areas patient assessments have an “opt-out” system for considering telehealth.

Christoph Thuemmler, Professor of eHealth at Napier University then ended the seminar schedule by commenting on the future of Cloud Computing within the NHS. With a global shift in care models, an increasing mobility of patients and targets, he says that the NHS cannot continue on with paper records and limited data sharing. “We can’t fight tomorrow’s challenges with yesterday’s solutions” he stated.

Christoph stated that cloud computing grants the ability to capture and share data, but only with those who need or have permission to access it. The same stored medical data could then be used to power a number of different applications. He calculated that £8 billion of savings could be made in 6 years if the public sector switched to using cloud computing immediately. Cloud computing also enables you to build service by service to keep costs down, and avoid the issues associated with large and all-encompassing IT projects.

There are a number of security issues around where data is held, although data is allowed to leave the UK to Europe only as long as the data is encrypted. A DoH directive now states that patients can receive elective treatment from anywhere in the EU up to the cost of the procedure at their local Trust, therefore Christoph argued that it will soon be essential for data to travel past national borders.

You can view the schedule of the Expo and it’s speakers HERE.

About Pathway Software

Pathway Software (www.pathwaysoftware.com) specialises in the design and development of patient information systems for Allied Health professionals.

Its flagship product, Therapy Manager, is an Electronic Patient Record (EPR) system specifically designed for Therapy Services to provide decision makers with the ability to track and manage clinical activity and analyse cost of care by patient, episode or service. The system also demonstrably reduces administration time and the costs of managing Therapy Services.