Healthcare
Roundup
 
21 January 2022
 
Contact Us Twitter LinkedIn Send to colleague
Seven days in the NHS and health IT
Health IT
Covid-19 controls dropped in England 
Against a backdrop of rows about lockdown parties at Number 10, and with Covid-19 deaths on an upward trend, health and social care secretary Sajid Javid has announced that almost all measures to control the disease will be phased out over the next few weeks. The move went down well with Covid-skeptics in the Conservative Party (Daily Mail), but alarmed public health and medical experts. Dr Chaand Nagpaul, chair of the British Medical Association, said the end of ‘plan B’ measures could “create a false sense of security, put the NHS under further pressure, and put the vulnerable at risk (The Guardian). Scotland is also scaling back its response.
NHS
Scotland expands NHS 24 
The Scottish government has funded a new call centre in Dundee to cope with rising demand for the NHS 24 service. National Health Executive reported that the service received 182,000 calls in December and 50,000 over Hogmanay weekend alone. Humza Yousaf, cabinet secretary for health and care, said the £20 million expansion will enable NHS 24 to continue as a 24-hour service and not just an out-of-hours service, as it was before the Covid-19 pandemic. The call centre will employ 140 staff, including call handlers and healthcare professionals. NHS 24 is supported by an online service, NHS Inform.  
NHS
Health news: waiting for the elective recovery plan and change at the top
The NHS is still waiting for the elective care recovery plan that had to be delayed in the face of the omicron variant of Covid-19. NHS Providers has warned that trusts can’t to commit to new activity targets until the full impact of the surge becomes clear (Health Service Journal). Meanwhile, it looks as if the near-end of the pandemic and the forthcoming reshuffle of national arms-length bodies will trigger a wave of job moves. Professor Sir Keith Willett is standing down as national director for emergency planning (HSJ), while Dr Geraint Lewis, the chief data officer at NHSX, is heading for Microsoft as director of population health (HSJ).
Health IT
Health IT news: NHSX promises standards roadmap as NICE examines evaluations 
NHSX has said that it is working on a standards roadmap for England that will cover data collections, records and information sharing initiatives. The move is a response to last year’s data strategy and commitments in this year’s NHS operational priorities and planning guidance to roll-out digital social care records and hook them into shared care record projects. Meanwhile, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has said it is reviewing its processes for evaluating medicines and technology (digitalhealth.net). Its outgoing chief executive had admitted the ‘tsunami’ of innovation is making it hard to cover everything and companies might have to pay (HSJ).
Health IT
CliniSys acquires HORIZON Lab Systems  
CliniSys has acquired HORIZON Lab Systems. The company will be combined with Sunquest Information Systems, which is owned by CliniSys’ parent company, Roper Technologies, and both will adopt the CliniSys brand. Digitalhealth.net reported that the move will “create one of the largest organisations dedicated to diagnostics and laboratory informatics in the world.” It will also give CliniSys access to HORIZON’s cloud-based solutions for use in water quality testing, public health, toxicology, and agriculture laboratories. Tech Market View argued that the move could be “transformative” for CliniSys, turning it into a global company with 1,300 employees in 12 countries.
Health IT
Company news: Huma buys iPLATO, TheHill joins list of accelerators 
Huma Therapeutics, a global provider of virtual wards and hospital at home services, has acquired iPLATO Healthcare, a UK provider of patient engagement software. The Health Tech Newspaper reported that the two companies will work together on a remote patient monitoring offer for primary care. Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is looking to create a market access accelerator. Digitalhealth.net reported that TheHill will look for innovation to make the NHS more efficient and effective; and stand a good chance of being adopted. Meanwhile, the well-established DigitalHealth.London accelerator has picked another 21 companies to work with (digitalhealth.net).
Health tech comms: fit for 2022
Highland Marketing Blog
The UK and its health and care services are working through another period of uncertainty. But when the omicron wave of Covid-19 has passed health tech suppliers can expect a 'more normal' 2022. So, they should be thinking now about how their marketing and PR communications can make them ready for whatever’s coming, say Highland Marketing founders Mark and Susan Venables.  
Copyright © 2022 Highland Marketing Ltd. All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email due to subscribing to our update list.
View our disclaimer and copyrights, and privacy policy.

Our mailing address is:
Highland Marketing Ltd
20 St Dunstan's Hill
London, EC3R 8HL
United Kingdom

Add us to your address book

Unsubscribe from this list