Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has highlighted the importance of technology in NHS improvements, saying: "Let this be clear: tech transformation is coming."
In a speech to staff at West Suffolk Hospital, he continued: "I want to see more technology like this become available to all, not just a select few. The right use of technology can save time and money, it can improve patient safety too."
During his speech, Mr Hancock referred to a project at the West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust where technology has enabled doctors and nurses to throw away pager technology in favour of a new smartphone app. The new Medic Bleep app is designed to save nurses more than 20 minutes per shift, and doctors more than 50 minutes. The easier communication between members of the care teams is said to have improved operational efficiency and patient outcomes.
It is estimated that by changing the way that staff communicate with each other - reducing time wasted and improving operational efficiency - the NHS could save approximately £1 billion a year in operational benefits; such as managing increases in demand and reducing the number of cancelled operations.
While technology is not a replacement for face-to-face consultation, Medic Bleep has been developed to enable improved collaboration and increased operational efficiency, reduces costs and improves patient outcomes.
Dr Sandeep Bansal, founder and CEO of Medic Creations, said: "I am delighted to see this successful project and technology in the spotlight, with its ability to transform and support clinical processes. By adopting this modern smartphone app which provides a secure method of communication between staff, many of the communications challenges experienced using legacy systems will be resolved."
Dr Bansal continued: "Following the success of the pilot my team are now working collaboratively with the staff at West Suffolk Foundation Trust Hospital on a Trust-wide implementation."
