Intelligent Health.tech Issue 22 | Page 25

E D I T O R ' S Q U E S T I O N

Within Labour ’ s ‘ 5 missions for a better Britain : Build an NHS fit for the future ’ release , the party stated : ‘ Harnessing the latest technological advancements can put patients , in partnership with the NHS , in control of their own healthcare , make the most of staff ’ s talent and time , and make the NHS more efficient for the taxpayer .

Britain has enormous advantages when it comes to adopting technology – we have a worldclass life sciences sector , the best university system in Europe and as a system that serves tens of millions , the NHS dataset is unique . But we have not had the leadership or systems needed to take advantage of these strengths , and we are struggling to adopt the latest technologies and innovations fast enough .’
Within their mission plan , the party states they aim to bring a ‘ revolution in technology ’ for the sector . Stating : ‘ The explosion of innovation in health technology is where we have the opportunity to create a step change in people ’ s health . The incredible advances of today would have been unimaginable 30 years ago and could enable the NHS to deliver truly personalised medicine , improve efficiency and back-office functions , reduce administrative burdens on staff , and speed up care .
Take artificial intelligence ( AI ). Using newly developed AI to interpret chest X-rays can save 15 % of a radiologists ’ workload , 70 % of outsourcing costs and , when combined with interpretation by a consultant radiologist , can reduce missed lung cancer cases by 60 % – with life-saving implications . Or take genomic medicine .
Today , genomic screening can spot pre-disposition to big killers like cancer or heart disease in babies , diagnose rare diseases , and help personalise treatments .
If every family could choose to screen their baby ’ s genetic information , they ’ d be empowered to give their child the healthiest start in life . There is no shortage of exciting innovation in UK universities and research centres . But the NHS is being left behind , because adoption and spread of new technology is notoriously slow and uptake is patchy , resulting in a postcode lottery for patients .
Continuing : ‘ There have been countless reviews to describe what ’ s wrong ; we now need an active plan for change . Whilst we won ’ t shy away from ambition , we also acknowledge that history shows us getting data and innovation right is not easy . We don ’ t want to repeat the mistakes of the past that have seen unnecessary bureaucracy trump common sense , or end up with too much micromanagement from the centre . Instead , we intend to work collaboratively across sectors to develop an approach that delivers for patients .’
I asked two experts for their insights on what they expect from a Labour government in the HealthTech space in the coming years .

WHAT DO UK HEALTHTECH EXPERTS WANT FROM A LABOUR GOVERNMENT ?

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