The Health Secretary Matt Hancock is heading a new digital drive for the NHS, placing bans on the use and purchase of what he describes as “archaic technology like pagers and fax machines.” As the government takes a strong stance on these legacy devices, the NHS is accelerating its plans to become a more modern health service.
A modern NHS era
In December 2018, the government announced a ban on the NHS buying fax machines from January 2019, instructing a full phase out of all machines by March 2020. And pagers were also on the hit list, given their marching orders earlier this month with an aim to cease all use by 2021.
These announcements to change the way the NHS uses outdated technology are not unsurprising given Prime Minister Theresa May’s promise in the NHS long-term plan to create a health service that offers “world-class treatments”. Utilising modern technology is critical to achieving this vision.
Yet, the scale of the change cannot be underestimated. 9,000 fax machines are still in use in the NHS across England and 130,000 pagers – which alone costs £6.6 million annually to run.
Solving some of the legacy issues of using this technology might not be easy. But to survive into the future, the NHS must digitalise to become more intelligent and embrace new technologies.
A technology-enabled NHS
Cost is not the only reason the NHS must change its methods. Old technology has its own challenges around security, patient safety and confidentiality. For example, documents can easily be sent to the wrong fax number or picked up by an unauthorised individual.
These machines isolate data, which limits progression in the NHS. Electronic patient records combine data from multiple systems, which increases the speed of diagnosis and improves the patient knowledge for the medical staff.
This drives better decision making and reduces human error. Yet, many Trusts struggle with combining data due to heavy reliance on legacy systems and limitations in interacting with other systems.
For the NHS to fully embrace and gain efficiencies through technology, interoperability and automation are critical. BDS Solutions’ Directory Manager is one system changing the way existing NHS systems interact.
Designed to act as a bridge between ESR, Active Directory and NHSmail, Directory Manager provides secure system integration, seamlessly administering starters, leavers and movers; automating the provision of identity and access management. As the NHS adds additional digital technology, close attention to information governance and security will play an increasingly critical role in protecting personal and sensitive data relating to patients and employees.