Departmental Publication (News and Communications)
Department of Health and Social Care

Apr. 14 2024

Source Page: AI to help keep people in work through £1.5 million investment in occupational health
Document: AI to help keep people in work through £1.5 million investment in occupational health (webpage)

Found: AI to help keep people in work through £1.5 million investment in occupational health

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Commons Chamber
Public Sector Websites (Data Charges)
1st reading - Tue 12 Mar 2024
No Department present

Mentions:
1: Simon Lightwood (LAB - Wakefield) free access to the most vital services, such as universal credit, local authority services and NHS health - Speech Link

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Non-Departmental Publication (Statistics)
NHS Digital

Mar. 14 2024

Source Page: Out of Area Placements in Mental Health Services, December 2023
Document: Out of Area Placements in Mental Health Services, December 2023 (webpage)

Found: Out of Area Placements in Mental Health Services, December 2023

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Written Question

Telemedicine: Voice over Internet Protocol

Friday 24th May 2024

Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether there are telecare devices being sold that will no longer be fully operational after the Public Switched Telephone Network is switched off.

Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

It is a known risk that some analogue telecare devices may not be digitally compatible or perform as reliably on digital networks. In November 2021, the Technology Enabled Care Services Association (TSA), the industry and advisory body for technology enabled care in the UK, released a statement requesting service providers discontinue purchasing new analogue-only units. Where there is an ongoing requirement to communicate in analogue protocols, providers can procure ‘hybrid’ alarms that communicate in both analogue and digital protocols.

Despite this, some telecare suppliers are still selling analogue devices to private customers. Also, telecare service providers may be re-issuing analogue devices to new customers, given the devices’ typical lifespan of five to seven years, before replacing them with digital alarm devices at the end of their lifespan. Alongside the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, the Department of Health and Social Care is developing a Telecare National Action Plan which will set out actions that a range of stakeholders, including telecare suppliers and service providers, are expected to take to ensure the safety of telecare users in the switch to digital lines. This will include actions to help telecare providers to better understand and manage the risks associated with the use of analogue telecare devices and will be published in the coming months, following stakeholder feedback.

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Written Question

NHS: Software

Tuesday 30th April 2024

Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the Patient Coalition for AI, Data and Digital Tech in Health report entitled Public and Patient Experience of the NHS app, published on 27 March 2024.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We recognise that digital skills levels are not universal, including amongst those people who need our health services the most. NHS England is therefore collaborating with local organisations and charities to include NHS App support in their outreach programmes. Alongside this, we have a priority programme to develop secure and safe ways for families and carers to access the NHS App on behalf of other people. The efficiency that the NHS App brings to frontline health services frees up staff to reach people who cannot access digital services via face-to-face and telephone appointments which will continue to be available.

The Department is not planning to publish a formal response to the report, but will use the recommendations to inform ongoing work to improve the App.

People can currently log in to the NHS App with their face ID or fingerprint and can be remembered on their device too. We are introducing more automated ID checks and new forms of login in the next 6 months, to make it even quicker for people to register and log in to the NHS App across a range of devices. This includes our web version that people without smartphones can access.

In the short term, we are making it easier to read information in the medical record, appointment lists, test results and prescription information. NHS England is making strategic changes in how the data is sent from system suppliers which will allow it to be more clearly presented.

We are updating plans to help frontline staff support their patients to use the NHS App, through training and support. This will be backed up by improvements to existing help pages and support processes and redesigning the contact form to make sure queries can be quickly resolved.

NHS England will work closely with frontline staff, Patient Participation Groups and our large App Ambassador network so that they can explain the NHS App to patients. This network will be expanded so that awareness of the support offer is raised further as suggested in the report.

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Departmental Publication (Statistics)
Department for Work and Pensions

Mar. 25 2024

Source Page: Digital skills, channel preference, and access needs: Personal Independence Payment customers
Document: Digital skills, channel preference, and access needs: Personal Independence Payment customers (PDF)

Found: Digital skills, channel preference, and access needs: Personal Independence Payment customers

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