Britain has a new Prime Minister. What is she proposing as part of her manifesto for healthcare and health technology?
Liz Truss has promised to “hit the ground running” with an emergency budget which will fund public services and the NHS. Now that the news is official that Liz is the new Prime Minister, questions are being asked about when this will be, and how far technology will be part of the planned spending.
Liz Truss won the race to become Prime Minister today (Mon 5 September) against Rishi Sunak, as the nation says goodbye to Boris Johnson. With the war in Ukraine, the cost of living crisis, and the healthcare system in a major crisis, it’s clear that she has an uphill battle in front of her.
NHS budget
Liz Truss had previously said: “I do think the NHS budget will have to continue to go up in real terms.” (Leadership hustings, Darlington).
Calls have been made for tech solutions across healthcare, including AI (artificial intelligence), and automated systems to help cope with huge demand and long waiting lists.
Tech needed for cybersecurity
Additionally, questions have been asked about whether or not an increased NHS budget would cover heightened cybersecurity, after the service was hit with a devastating ransomware attack, affecting major services including ambulance dispatch.
Patients and the NHS
Liz’s opponent Rishi had previously made headlines for announcing he would punish NHS patients with £10 fines, for any missed GP appointments.
Though the new PM has not announced a solid plan for healthcare just yet, she had previously said (in 2009) that patients should be charged and that doctor’s pay should be cut by 10%.
The new PM had also previously told the national press that the £13bn earmarked for the NHS may be used on social care instead.
She said: “I would spend that money in social care. Quite a lot has gone to the NHS. I would give it to local authorities. We have people in beds in the NHS who would be better off in social care. So put that money into social care.
“We put the extra £13bn in and what people who work in the NHS tell me is the problem is the number of layers in the organisation they have to go through to get things done, the lack of local decision-making. That’s what people are telling me is the problem, rather than a lack of funding.”
Government and tech
The government website itself states that online services, basic IT and clinical tools in health and care is “far behind where it needs to be.”
The report, named The future of healthcare: our vision for digital, data and technology in health and care adds: “Technology systems used daily across hospitals, GP surgeries, care homes, pharmacies and community care facilities don’t talk to each other, fail frequently and do not follow modern cyber security practices.”
Though it is not yet clear what changes will be implemented under Liz Truss, it’s safe to say that all eyes are on heer for the future of technology-driven healthcare in the UK.
