By Carina Healy, Partner at law firm CMS
THE NHS in Scotland has secured an additional £730 million, a 5.5 per cent increase, in funding in the Scottish Government’s annual budget. The BMA has said this will make little difference in addressing the growing gap between resources and patient demand.
With annual health service spending already accounting for £13.9 billion, one third of Scotland’s £41bn budget for 2018-19, is it realistic to think we can raise standards simply by throwing more money at the problem?
Part of the solution lies in the way modern technology can be used with the vast amount of data held on file about patients and diseases. Scotland is well placed to make the most of this data as, unlike England where data is split between different trusts, NHS Scotland holds a single pool of patient data. This could be a major asset in developing new treatments, processes and efficiencies.
One field in which NHS data can make a big difference is drug discovery. The rise in computing power enables pharmaceutical companies to use computer modelling to speed up drug discovery and reduce costs. This modelling can also be used to develop cheaper versions of existing drugs and find new purposes for old drugs.
NHS data regarding diseases and treatments and their results has great potential to add to the drug discovery process. Powerful computers can process and analyse this data in a way that wasn’t possible only a few years ago. By increasing our understanding of diseases and their effects on patients, we can find new treatments and improve standards of care for patients.
Technological innovations also benefit patients. One example is Doctorlink, a new platform that provides an accessible triage element for patients. This uses an evidence-based approach to help them understand their health complaint and advises appropriate action, which may not always involve seeing their doctor.
These innovations combined with further development of online GP surgery tools, wearable health technology such as glucose monitors for diabetics and health apps for treating ailments like stress and anxiety will also raise care standards and drive down costs. Companies such as Google, Apple, Samsung and IBM moving into the life sciences sector underlines the opportunity of a technology-driven revolution for healthcare. The UK and Scottish governments support this development but there are serious issues and patient concerns around how companies use health data.
NHS decision-makers face the difficult balancing act of using patient data to drive innovation and raise standards of care with the need to protect patient data and ensure it is not misused. The NHS has already seen the dramatic fall-out from the Google DeepMind collaboration with the Royal Free NHS Foundation Trust. It is vital that the Government’s code of conduct on data-driven health and care technology is robust to allay fears and provide clarity to enable technology-enabled research collaborations to progress.
If the NHS has clear guidelines on when and how it can engage with companies, it will be more comfortable about approving projects. An effective code will also provide commercial clarity for companies and enable them to understand how they can work with the NHS. While extra funding will always be important, making better use of this NHS data and tapping into new technologies can significantly raise the standards and capabilities of our health service. This could prove far more valuable than what money alone can buy.
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