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The Future of NHS Innovation: What can we expect this year?

By Hatim Abdulhussein

The Future of NHS Innovation: What can we expect this year?
Blog Digital, Data & AIPrimary, community & social care Health and care professionalsInnovator hubLife sciences and industryPatients and publicResearchers and academics

In my first blog of the year, I wanted to reflect on a recent visit from NHS England’s National Director of Innovation, Emily Henderson, and look to what we can expect this year.

Having worked in a national role before, it is essential to understand the challenges on the ground and how innovation can be better supported across the NHS. It was therefore a pleasure to host Emily at the Devonshire Lodge Practice where I work clinically on Fridays, and I appreciated her taking the time to visit. Emily observed me using ambient voice technology for the first time. We were both left impressed by the tool and its accuracy of documentation yet acknowledged challenges in full integration with the electronic healthcare record. For me, the real value will come when there is full integration and these tools become more agentic, but there was no doubt its use allowed me to focus more actively on my patient during the consultation and saved me time post the consultation.

We spent time walking around the practice, speaking to GPs, Receptionists, the Practice Manager, Administrative Staff and the Clinical Pharmacist. The use of technology was a common theme of discussion, with mixed views on the current value of the innovations used, reflections on the time and effort required to integrate new tools, and a lot of learning from where an AI tool wasn’t so successful in driving improvements when the practice looked to a solution for a long-time pain point in document management. Maturity of the solution, keeping a human in the loop, and well-considered implementation plans were clear take homes.

Emily and I have previously shared enthusiasm for the ‘art of the possible’. So, what are some of the key enablers for achieving this that can be expected in 2025:

The Ten Year Health Plan and Life Science Sector Plan: Following on from the publication of the ‘Independent investigation of the NHS in England’ led by Lord Ara Darzi, we are now in motion with the development of these plans. I’ve had the pleasure of serving on one of the task and finish groups within the area of research, innovation and life sciences, focusing on prioritisation, and feel optimistic that 2025 will see substantial progress in aligning funding, system architecture, policy, and regulatory frameworks to accelerate innovation into practice.

Greater Data Maturity: As Secure Data Environments continue to develop, in addition to the opportunities allowed for by the NHS Federated Data Platforms and Patient Portals, we embark on great opportunity to develop more sophisticated uses of data and AI-powered applications that can meaningfully impact clinical practice, population health and patient experience. We are currently undertaking work for one of our Integrated Health and Care Systems to unlock this potential.

Empowering the Workforce: I have dedicated much of my career to supporting the professional development of clinical and non-clinical staff to build digital and innovation capability. The past few years have been tough due to the impact of the pandemic; however, I remain convinced that a focus on building the right skillsets, networks and clinical leadership will be essential for 2025 and beyond. We have recently seen several clinicians join us at Health Innovation KSS as Honorary Clinical AI Leads and Fellows, as well as celebrated the work of AI Visionaries with the Department of Health and Social Care. It is only through our people that the art of the possible can be realised.

I believe 2025 will see the NHS enter a new phase of innovation, building on the foundations of the past, and delivering meaningful change that improves outcomes for patients, population health and workforce experience.

Author bio

Hatim Abdulhussein

Hatim is the Chief Executive Officer for Health Innovation Kent Surrey Sussex, which is part of the NHS Health Innovation Network. Alongside this role, he continues to practice as a General Practitioner.

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