Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the use and funding of technology enabled care in the NHS and other care settings.

The Government recognises the significant beneficial impact of technology on patient care. Analysis shows that hospitals that make the changes to plug their systems and processes into the NHS App key features alongside broader clinical, operational, and digital transformation have improved elective care waiting times. However, we need to go much further in our modernisation of the health system and so, as set out in our 10-Year Health Plan, £10 billion has been dedicated to technology and digital transformation by 2028/29.

This investment will further drive National Health Service productivity improvements, including freeing up staff time, rolling out a new single patient record which would allow providers to access a comprehensive patient record, seamlessly integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into most clinical pathways, including AI Assisted Triage for ensuring people’s needs are identified early and matched to the right level of care straightaway, and upgrading the NHS App to give patients more information, choice, and control over their care.

To help assess the use of technologies in adult social care, the Government has funded testing and evaluation of technologies in social care, including falls prevention and detection, through the Adult Social Care Technology Fund. Emerging evidence from Government-funded independent evaluations indicates that sensor-based technologies help people live at home for longer and can prevent falls and “long lies” in care homes by between 37% to 49%, as well as reduce hospital admissions and free up staff time. We will publish the findings from these projects this year.