NHS Resource Centre News: Round- Up
Welcome to the Microsoft NHS Resource Centre’s seven day round up of the latest news from the NHS and the healthcare IT sector.
Government sets out vision for Digital Britain
The government has confirmed that it wants universal access to 2Mbps broadband by 2012, arguing that this is vital for the future of commercial and public services. Its Digital Britain report says that a small “levy” of 50p per month should be put on copper phone lines to pay to extend broadband to hard-to-reach areas, and that some BBC licence fee money should be used for content.
The report also sets out plans for a “digital switchover” for public services once the 2Mbps universal service commitment has been achieved. This would make online the man way to access services, with a “safety net” for those unable to use the internet. All government departments have been told to find two services for “digital switchover” by 2012.
• Read the Digital Britain report on the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills website
Darzi urges the NHS to innovate
Health minister Lord Darzi of Denham has urged the NHS to innovate its way out of the coming squeeze on public sector funds. Speaking at an NHS Innovation Expo in London’s docklands that was organised by the Department of Health to show new ideas to the health service, Lord Darzi said it needed to adopt new ways of doing things that would improve quality, save money, and contribute to the economy.
• Read more on the E-Health Insider website.
• Look out for our feature and podcasts from the NHS Innovation Expo
Smart Pod and crash trolley unveiled at Expo
The Department of Health used the NHS Innovation Expo to unveil an “ambulance of the future” equipped with a range of new mobile communications technologies. The so-called Smart Pod has been developed by the Royal College of Art and the Physical Sciences Research Centre and can also be used as an emergency treatment centre. Researchers from Loughborough University designed the inside of the vehicle so it is more resistant to healthcare associated infections such as MRSA.
The DH also used the Expo to show off a new resuscitation trolley to support crash teams. The Resus:Station was designed by a multi-disciplinary team from the Imperial Centre for Patient Safety and Service Quality. Items stored on the trolley have radio frequency identification tags so its stock can be checked instantly. The trolley is also fitted with a touch-screen computer to give crash teams instant access to resuscitation protocols and to help them capture vital data.
• Read the Smart Pod press release on the government’s News Distribution Services website.
• Read the Rusus:Station press release on the NDS website.
Wales appoints health expert as CIO
Gwyn Thomas has been appointed as the chief information officer for the Welsh Assembly Government. Dr Thomas will take up his new role while continuing in his current job as chief executive of Informing Healthcare, the agency in charge of IT for the Welsh NHS. Until 2005, when the National Programme for IT in the NHS was set up, Dr Thomas was the chief executive of the NHS Information Authority in England.