It’s been a busy week at Digital Healthcare Council HQ.

We’ve been keeping half an eye on the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham, but with a leadership contest dominating there’s been little in the way of health policy discussed.

It’s becoming more and more clear with every conversation I have that digital health and care providers are already stabilising the NHS. And this support is allowing primary and secondary care, in particular, to respond to the changing needs of local communities.

What is holding us back?

Senior NHS leaders I’ve met recently genuinely believe that there isn’t enough money in the system to allow them to innovate.

Which is absolutely not true. The health and care system is funded to the tune of billions and the real barrier isn’t money, it’s the decisions that are taken about how to invest that money – both nationally and at system level.

Strength in numbers

The real value of trade associations like the DHC is that the decision makers prefer talking to lots of suppliers at once.

They won’t say it out loud, but they also prefer to have fewer conversations in general. So talking to a trade association that represents many like minded leaders and organisations makes their life easier.

Opportunities ahead

And while the Government faces the reality of reform on multiple fronts, it really makes sense that DHC speaks on behalf of a sector that can and already is solving many of the challenges facing the NHS.