Modern communications for a modern NHS

Yesterday the Health Secretary announced an ambition that all hospitals and GP practices should have the fastest broadband available, supporting the long-term plan for the NHS which aims to deliver dramatic improvements for patients and their families. 

• All hospitals and GP practices should have the fastest fibre-optic broadband to support radical improvements to digital healthcare services. 
• Almost 40 per cent of NHS organisations are using slow and unreliable internet, which restricts the ability to offer digital services to patients. 
• These new plans will allow doctors to offer more services, such as video consultations, to patients as part of a new ‘digital first’ offer across NHS – meaning that more of the patient consultations with GPs and outpatient clinics will be offered online. 
• Cloud-based patient records will help clinicians access crucial information, including high resolution images, improving patient safety and speeding up appointments. 

Why this matters:

We need to unlock the full potential of technology so that we can give people complete control over how they access NHS services and make the NHS fit for the 21st century.