How can technology and social innovation shape healthcare?

NWEH attended an evening seminar hosted by the Guardian in association with Hitachi, which sought to provide some answers.

#FutureofHealth prompted fascinating discussion around big data in healthcare, including the prevalence of information silos, and a move away from a more paternalistic model to one in which the patient is driving change.

Adrian Conduit, director of business development, Healthcare Practice, Hitachi Consulting, called for a move towards longer-term healthcare management and disease prevention – and the data and technology are already available to support this.

A panel made up of Katherine Rake, chief executive of Healthwatch, BUPA’s digital director Alan Payne, and Eva Van Pelt from Hitachi Data Systems, raised important points around access, patient understanding and engagement, and the implications of behavioural science on population health.

Telecare is one effective model for preventative care, and forms part of a wider move to build triage capability throughout the NHS, they suggested. And Van Pelt emphasised the importance of establishing clear use cases to demonstrate how data can be shared to drive improvements in care.

The speakers agreed that a drive of demand for new technology was building from patients and the public, and could have the potential to completely change the way we deliver care.