Health Secretary Sets Out Digital Care Record Targets

Health and Social Care Secretary, Sajid Javid has announced a target to get 80 per cent of social care providers, including care homes and home care providers to use digital care records by March 2024, adding that his intentions are to place focus on the role of technology within healthcare by prioritising personalised care and levelling up.

Mr Javid said: “To get there, we need to show people the app is for life, not just for COVID, and that it will be a future front door for interacting with the NHS.
“The NHS is already working on new features, including how we can show estimated waiting times and the results of blood tests within the app.
“The NHS app has shown how people are receptive to having healthcare literally in their hands – and we have the opportunity to use platforms like apps and websites to access diagnostics and therapies, helping them to manage their own conditions”.
He also announced that he would like to see 90 percent of NHS trusts to have an electronic patient record (EPR) in place or be processing them by December next year.

Currently an estimated 40 per cent of care providers are “still grappling entirely with paper-based records” he said, and is calling on them to accelerate the roll out of digital records and shore up ‘cyber resilience’.

Steve Sawyer Managing Director, Health and Social Care, Access Group says:

“Access Group welcomes the new targets set last week by health and social care secretary Sajid Javid to complete the digitisation of health and social care providers.

“As part of a major speech that urged health and social care providers to build on rapid advances in digital technology that were made during the Covid-19 pandemic, Mr Javid reiterated a commitment in the integration white paper to make sure that 80% of social care providers are using a digital care record by March 2024.

“At the moment, just 40% of social care providers have moved away from paper-based working. As the leading provider of digital solutions to care homes and domiciliary care providers, we want to see that proportion increased, because we have seen the benefits that technology can deliver to providers, their staff, and those they care for.

“As Mr Javid was speaking, the Department of Health and Social Care released the independent review of social care that was commissioned from Baroness Camilla Cavendish.

“This calls for more data for commissioners and regulators to support greater transparency in the social care market and a shift away from commissioning for activity to commissioning for outcomes. It also calls for joined up health and care records, to which individuals and their families can contribute.

“These ideas are familiar and widely supported by those working in the hugely important care sector. However, they can’t be realised until all health and social care providers have the systems that they need to capture the information required. That is why Mr Javid’s support for these targets is so important.”
The Health Secretary is set to publish a digital health plan later this year which will outline future plans to help in recovery from the pandemic and promote change across digital health.