Efforts to digitalise NHS services are putting patients at risk, according to a new report published by Public Policy Projects in collaboration with Patient Safety Learning. Patient Safety in the Digital NHS calls for patient safety to be prioritised if the NHS is to unlock the benefits of digital transformation. The report says, although there are examples of successful technology implementation, patients continue to be put at risk as efforts to digitalise services are not adequately considering patient safety. This is often due to a lack of user-centricity in technology design and implementation. Recommendations in the report include:
Read the full report on the PPP website here.
Plans to tackle digital exclusion have been set out by the Government. The Digital Inclusion Action Plan includes funding for local initiatives supporting the most digitally-excluded groups, including the elderly and low-income households. It also includes partnering with inclusion charity Digital Poverty Alliance to provide laptops to people who are digitally excluded. The Government says many in Britain risk being left behind if no action is taken. There are 1.6 million people in the UK currently living offline, meaning they lack the devices, connection or skills to get online. Around a quarter of the UK population struggle to use online services.
Find out more about the digital inclusion plan on the GOV.UK website here.
In this CharityComms article, Yumna Matar shares top tips for designing campaigns which will work across multiple languages. Yumna shares seven Ts of translating campaigns including talking about translation needs upfront and tried and tested fonts.
Read the full article via the CharityComms website here.
A new report from PIF member Cancer Research UK has revealed cancer death rates are nearly 60% higher for people living in the most deprived areas of the UK. The report illustrates the role of socioeconomic factors, including income and education, in driving cancer inequalities. It says around a tenth of all cancer diagnoses in the UK are linked to deprivation with an estimated 28,400 cancer deaths each year linked to socioeconomic inequality. Many of these are caused by preventable risk factors such as smoking and obesity. The charity has called for government action and investment and has developed its own cancer and health inequalities strategy.
Find out more on the Cancer Research UK website here.
New research challenges the assumption that technology will automatically free up healthcare staff time or improve care. The Health Foundation analysis explores situations where health technologies have had no impact, or a negative impact, on staff time and investigates why. Reasons for a negative impact included staff needing to do extra tasks, technology being difficult to use and the wider context in which the technology was being implemented. The Health Foundation says, without more detailed attention on what is required to support digital transformation, the Government’s proposed shift from analogue to digital risks remaining an ambition rather than a reality.
Find out more about the research on The Health Foundation website here.
A new impact report highlights how the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Health and Wellbeing Alliance has successfully supported the development of inclusive health and care policy, commissioning and service design. The report – shared by National Voices, a joint co-ordinator of the Alliance – reveals how from 2021 to 2024, almost 10,000 people from marginalised and minoritised communities have had their voices heard in policymaking via Health and Wellbeing Alliance activity. It says the government, in its quest to tackle health inequalities, will need sustainably resourced initiatives like the Alliance to go even further.
Read more on the impact report via the National Voices website here.
A new dental portal will mean people in Wales will no longer need to call multiple dental surgeries to try to find an NHS dentist. The Dental Access Portal has been designed and built by PIF member Digital Health and Care Wales. It offers a central platform for people to register their interest in NHS dentistry and for health boards to allocate places for routine NHS dental treatment. The new service will help people who may not have seen a dentist for some time get access to routine NHS appointments. It will also provide a clear picture of the scale of demand for NHS dental services.
Find out more about the portal and who can use it on the DHCW website here.
AbilityNet is hosting a webinar series to help delegates prepare for the June 2025 deadline of the European Accessibility Act. The series will be useful to anyone wishing to find out more about the impact of the Act, including those in accessibility testing and content editing roles. The first free webinar will be held from 1pm on 19 March.
Find out more and register for the webinar on the AbilityNet website here.