Hub & Spoken.

What's in this podcast?

In this episode, Jason talks about the UK government’s new strategy around data in healthcare.

Take a look at the Data Saves Lives: reshaping health and social care with data policy that Jason refers to; it sets out ambitious plans to harness the potential of data in health and care in England, while maintaining the highest standards of privacy and ethics.

Listen to this episode on Spotify, iTunes, and Stitcher. You can also catch up on the previous episodes of the Hub & Spoken podcast when you subscribe.

What are your thoughts on the Data Saves Lives policy? We’d love to hear from you; join the #HubandSpoken discussion and let us know on Twitter and LinkedIn.

For more on data, take a look at the webinars and events that we have lined up for you.

One Big Message

The pandemic impacted many people and put immense pressure on the healthcare system. Now the UK Government is looking to implement a healthcare data strategy, to help arm the healthcare system with the necessary information needed to help them deliver the best care possible.

These measures aren’t just for pandemic-related incidents; this new infrastructure also promises to create less friction in helping healthcare and social workers gather the information needed to give the best care possible. 

[00:10] A new government strategy coming into effect in June 2022

[01:38] Why the new health data strategy is so significant

[02:30] How access to health data impacted Covid-19

[03:30] The four priorities of the health data strategy

[04:29] Seven pillars of the new strategy

[08:30] How much progress has already been made on these commitments

The 4 priorities of the new strategy

The new health data strategy revolves around 4 priorities: 

• Prevention
• Personalisation
• Performance 
• and People

7 promises of the new health data strategy

1. Improving public trust in the health and care system’s of the use of dataThis, like any form of trust, will need to be earned with inclusion to allow people the option to opt in or out of data collection if they choose to do so.
2. Giving health and care professionals the information they need, so they can provide the best careIn order to do this, it’s important to have accurate and up-to-date information. This can be especially beneficial when providing care for patients with multiple complex medical conditions. Having easy access to this information can help improve the overall quality of patient care.
3. Improving data for adult social careThis pillar is about giving members of the public and care teams access to timely data in a more focused, social care setting. This is particularly important as we become an increasingly ageing population
   
4. Supporting local and national decision-makers with dataData allows for better informed decisions, which in turn can improve the effectiveness and efficiency of governmental operations.
5. Empowering researchers with the data they need to develop life-changing treatments, diagnostics, models of care and insightsIn order to make sure that health and care professionals have access to the most up-to-date information, we need to make sure that research is carried out in a timely manner and that results are communicated effectively. 
6. Working with partners that develop innovations that improve health and care Partnerships are crucial when it comes to developing innovations in healthcare. By giving them access to data, we can pool resources and create something that is better than anything a single organisation collecting its own data could have done on its own.
7. Developing the right technical infrastructureThis affects the previous 6 since technology will need to be updated to handle such a large infrastructure. If this priority is not met, it will undermine the rest of the strategy. 

To summarise

Health and care professionals are the backbone of the medical industry. They work tirelessly to provide their patients with the best possible information and care. However, they cannot do this alone. They need access to the best possible resources and information. By implementing this data strategy the UK healthcare system will become more efficient and prepared to deliver the best healthcare possible under any circumstance.