Over the past couple of months, DHC members have been raising concerns about possible plans for NHS England to extend their contract with AccuRx without open competition. DHC Director, Graham Kendall, spoke with Andrea Downey at Digital Health News about their concerns. “The DHSC, NHS England, NHSX, NHS Digital and the Cabinet Office have all… Read More Open competition secures the best services for patients
For digital providers, the consultation on the CQC’s new strategy is an opportunity to highlight how the regulatory process could, and should, be making better use of what digital services can offer. As a collective voice of 17 digital health providers, we responded with our thoughts on how the new strategy could help meet the… Read More Influencing the future of healthcare regulation
A couple of pieces of interesting research recently show that: Over 50s are less likely to have accessed online consultations in the UK during the first lockdown Older patients prefer digital health tools to in-person consultations Research commissioned by Visiba Care looked at rates of online consultations including video consultations and online consultations such as… Read More Research shows strong but unmet demand for digital healthcare among older people
The latest GP appointment stats covering October have led some observers to fanfare that the level of GP appointments is now at pre-pandemic levels. But that conclusion is only partially true, and more fundamentally, perhaps it also misses the point. It is accurate that the total number of appointments in October was 28.2 million and… Read More GP appointment bounce back masks nationwide variation
Writing in Open Access Government, DHC Director, Graham Kendall outlines what has worked in response to Covid, and what needs to change. He highlights the need to: focus on integrating solutions that prioritise the user experience support and empower local users to choose solutions that work for them spend wisely, and avoid duplicating expenditure work… Read More Lessons from COVID-19: How can healthcare change for the better?
Commenting in City AM, DHC Director, Graham Kendall discusses reasons for why digital health is set to grow over the long-term. “These fundamental pressures [e.g. demographic changes and long-term conditions] and an increasing patient appetite for accessible, always-on care, will drive innovation in digital healthcare and encourage widespread adoption over the foreseeable future”. Read the… Read More Healthtech: are ‘virtual’ doctors here to stay?
The latest waiting time figures show the length of time waiting has grown again. It’s understandable due to the shut down in activity earlier in the year because of Covid and difficulties resuming activity due to social distancing and infection control. Nevertheless, the figures are both startling and concerning, writes DHC Director, Graham Kendall. Some… Read More Waiting times grow again
Commenting further to a recent article in Digital Health News about difficulties with the remote monitoring frames, DHC Director, Graham Kendall said: “In an ideal world we would all avoid errors, but it’s vital to correct them when they are arise so I would pay credit to CCS for being responsive and taking prompt action… Read More Give Trusts choice
July’s rise in GP appointment numbers is welcome but it masks a steepening fall year-on-year. Despite this grim pattern, areas using DHC members for video consultations continue to buck the trend, writes DHC Director, Graham Kendall. July’s GP appointment data show a mixed picture. There were more than 22.4 million appointments. That’s an increase of… Read More Online providers buck the trend
As part of NHS England’s Phase Three response to COVID-19, patient-initiated follow up processes (PIFU) have been recommended for use in secondary care. DHC Director, Graham Kendall commented on the new guidance in Digital Health News saying that evidence “overwhelmingly” suggests that patients who are actively involved in managing their care do much better. “Given… Read More Ensure support for digital based patient-initiated follow ups