The integration of health and social care is currently the biggest issue for both sectors in the UK – and technology and data are at the centre of efforts to make it a reality.
Government has identified this as a priority, with developments such as the Hewitt review on boosting the capabilities of England’s integrated care systems, and a minister setting the target for all organisations in ICSs to be connected to a shared care record in the next year.
The devolved administrations are also pressing ahead with the cause and there are plenty of initiatives at local level such as breakthrough in interoperability of care records in the West Midlands and the deployment of an electronic patient record in public health nursing in Somerset.
It is an exciting outlook but also involves stiff challenges around issues such as technical interoperability, dealing with legacy systems, harnessing new technologies, cyber security and ensuring the safe sharing of patient data.
There is a great opportunity to strengthen your understanding of several key issues at next week’s UKAuthority Integrating Digital Health and Care conference.
An online event taking place over three 90-minute sessions on 10, 11 and 12 May, it involves a range of speakers from the NHS, devolved administrations and local government, providing a variety of perspectives on key issues and examples of progress.
Speakers
They include Alice Ainsworth, deputy director of adult social care technology policy in the Department for Health and Social Care, Jonathan Cameron, deputy director for digital health and care for the Scottish Government, Diane Buddery, senior adviser for partners in care and health at the Local Government Association, Gary McAllister, chief technology officer for NHS London, and Sam Hall, director of primary and community care and mental health services at Digital Health and Care Wales.
For those who watch live there will be opportunities to ask questions and add your own observations, helping to shape the debate and open up new insights into the issues addressed.
It provides an excellent opportunity to learn from others, understand the big picture and details of specific initiatives, and generally develop a stronger understanding of how digital and data can support a more effective delivery of health and social care.
You can register for the event, taking place from 11.00-12.30 on 10, 11, 12 May, from here.
