Thursday 27th May 2010, Grange Holborn Hotel - London, 09:00 - 16:00

eHealth: Transforming Health and Social Care Services Through Technology

Overview

The ageing population profile of the UK has serious financial implications for the future funding, service, quality and organisation of the NHS. But could healthcare IT and assistive technologies (telecare, telehealth and telemedicine) transform social and healthcare services by meeting users’, patients’ and clinicians’ expectations of quality care while providing a sustainable, financial solution for local authorities and the NHS?

In response to this and other challenges, from 2002-2007, the former government invested unprecedented sums of money in the NHS to improve service quality and to transform the design and delivery of healthcare in the UK. Over this period, the former government doubled its investment in the NHS; spending on the NHS in England reached £90 billion in 2007 and this figure is estimated to rise to almost £110 billion by 2010. The gross domestic product (GDP) devoted to health care spending increased from just over 7% in 2002 to just under 9.5% in 2006, which is close to the European Union average.

NHS Connecting for Health was established in 2005 to support the NHS in delivering better, safer care to patients, by bringing in new IT systems and services. Connecting for Health is now working with acute and primary care trusts to improve IT systems and services that support patient care through the NHS Interoperability Toolkit. This programme is intended to open up the healthcare IT market to new suppliers and new technological developments, improving patient services, and increasing innovation.

A key component of NHS Connecting for Health is green technology. In 2008, the Greening Government ICT strategy was launched and NHS Connecting for Health has played a central part in the Greening Government ICT delivery unit, which recently published its One Year On report. Sustainable IT is not only an opportunity to reduce the carbon footprint of the NHS, but it also frees up valuable resources that can be reinvested into services, directly benefitting patients and their care.

The need to deliver value for money was a key concern for the former government. The government renewed its interest in health IT and assistive technologies as it promoted early diagnosis and reorganised the NHS around a patient-centred, integrated approach to the provision of health and social care in the community.

Agenda

This forum will explore how to best deliver value for money and the highest-level patient care in the NHS.

09:00	Registration and Coffee
09:45	Chair’s Welcome Address Deborah Rozansky, Principal Organisational Development, OPM (CONFIRMED)
09:50	Quality and Informatics: engaging people in their own care Improving patient care through improved IT systems The progress of the Interoperability Toolkit Improving patient safety by eliminating errors through ePrescriptions Raising standards in health and social services through better information sharing between the NHS and adult social services Developing the Summary Care Records system to streamline patient record keeping Charles Gutteridge, National Clinical Director for Informatics, Department of Health (CONFIRMED)
10:10	Questions and Answers Session
10:20	Moving Forwards With Remote Care. Do We Still Need More Evidence? The use of remote monitoring – ‘telecare’ of ‘telehealth’ Who has experience of using it – Local authorities and PCTs How close are we to embedding remote care into mainstream care services? The need for evidence for the economic benefits of remote care to move forwards Professor James Barlow, Chair in Technology and Innovation Management, Director of Health and Care Infrastructure Research and Innovation Centre (HaCIRIC), Imperial College (CONFIRMED)
10:40	The NHS National Innovation Centre. An example of blended online/offline services to speed-up development of technological innovations to benefit the NHS. NHS National Innovation Centre’s Aims and Objectives Business Model Examples Next Steps Dr. Michael Wilkinson, Business Development Manager, NHS National Innovation Centre (CONFIRMED)
11:05	Question and Answer Session
11:25	Coffee and Networking
11:50	Creating An Inclusive And Efficient Health System: NHS Direct NHS Direct – meeting the needs of patients through technology Delivering remote and multi-channel technology supported healthcare Running the phone and online National Pandemic Flu Service Opening up information and access to services to all Internet users Nick Chapman, Chief Executive, NHS Direct (CONFIRMED)
12:15	Providing High-Quality, Convenient Services At Less Cost Chris Heathcote, Senior Policy Advisor, NHS Reform, CBI (CONFIRMED)
12:35	Questions and Answers Session
13:00	Lunch and Networking
14:00	NHSmail Programme – Efficiency Through Migration Update on the NHSmail programme Adding new functionality – Inbound SMS Moving to NHSmail – delivering quality and efficiency Allowing patients to communicate with the health service – Specific appointment reminders to cut DNAs Implementing SMS and email reminder systems to cut the £600 million that patients cost the NHS by missing appointments Gaining savings by migrating mailboxes Representative tbc, NHSmail Programme (CONFIRMED)
14:25	Using Technology To Integrate Services On A Local Level: Liverpool PCT Aiming to keep patients out of hospital wherever possible through improved IT Creating an integrated system to allow clinicians across Liverpool shared access to patient records Using EMIS Web to facilitate new services such as an A&E diversion service Providing access to GP records for existing services Creating centres where acute trusts and community services are integrated with primary care and national applications such as the Electronic Prescriptions Service Kate Warriner, Deputy Head of IM&T & Dr Simon Bowers GP, PBC Chair, Clinical IM&T Lead, Liverpool PCT (CONFIRMED)
14:50	Coffee Break and Networking
15:10	Green Technology: The Importance Of Sustainable ICT In The NHS Greening Government ICT: One Year On – what progress has been made? Reducing the carbon footprint of the NHS through sustainable ICT The role of NHS Connecting for Health in this process How sustainable ICT will deliver improved efficiency in the NHS Reinvesting the resources freed up by sustainable ICT into key health services Miles Gray, NHS Green ICT Lead, NHS Connecting for Health (CONFIRMED)
15:35	Questions and Answers Session
16:00	Chair's Summary and Close

*programme subject to change without notice

Audience

Delegates will include Health professionals; Strategic health authorities, GP's and Nurses, ICT delivery officials, IT specialists, PCT staff, Clinical specialists, Primary and secondary care workers, Foundation trusts, Health researchers, Directors, managers and heads of nursing from care homes, Heads of procurement Chief Information Officers, Heads of Service Management, Commercial Delivery Managers, Heads of Technology Services, ICT Operations Managers, and Operational Services Managers and could be drawn from central government, local authorities, and other health care services.

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