The NHS faces an existential crisis. A crisis that is both immediate and long term. Yes, it’s about how the Tories have run the NHS into the ground over the past 13 years, with ambulances not arriving until too late, swift GP appointments a thing of the pas and more than 7 million people waiting for treatment. But it’s about a lot more than that. Today, with an ageing population, more long-term chronic illnesses and far more knowledge about how to prevent ill health, the NHS needs to adapt.
That is why today we are announcing details of our health mission with the clear aim of making the NHS fit for the future – a prevention-first model and a shift from hospitals to the community so that illness is caught early and at home, not late and in hospital.
But there is another change that could totally reframe the NHS and how it operates and save money: moving from an analogue system to a fully digital NHS. The NHS is in pole position to take advantage of advances in science and technology, if only ministers realised it. We have a thriving life sciences sector, a universal health service with an entire population’s data and the ability to move at pace, as was shown with the vaccine rollout.
So what could a tech revolution in the NHS look like? More than 30 million people signed up to the NHS app during the pandemic. That is a big number and represents the majority of adults in this country. Covid made it necessary. Yet, post-Covid, this resource – a resource that could be harnessed for the good of the public – has been left dormant. It’s another tale of our time – another opportunity missed; the absence of strong leadership.
A Labour government would get hold of that NHS app and using it to drive forward a more patient-focused, responsive service. Get this right and it means moving to “a single front door to all NHS services” – fully digital patient records. In one place a patient will be able to book appointments, use appropriate self-referral routes, get reminders for check-ups and screening, receive the latest guidance on treatment and have the ability to take part in clinical trials, something particularly important if you are one of the more than 3 million people in the UK with a rare disease.
Patients will be in control of their own data, choosing how it’s used and how it’s shared. This could mean a genuine democratising of healthcare, helping to get rid of the divide between those who are confident to speak up for themselves and those who can’t. And, of course, it will need careful management to ensure those who are less comfortable using technology are supported throughout and given alternative routes where needed.
This could add up to faster care, more choices for patients and the ability for us to better manage our own health. In short, a new relationship between citizen and the NHS – the rebuilding of trust in a service so badly bruised in the past few years. A fully digital NHS will mean primary care, hospital care and social care are joined up properly for the first time, speaking to each other in ways that can speed up and streamline care for patients.
And it doesn’t stop there. Technology provides more choice and power for patients but it also saves lives. Artificial intelligence is not just an amusing, slightly scary tool in the form of ChatGPT. In health, it has the potential to transform patient outcomes, improve productivity and save money.
Here’s an example. Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer-related deaths in the UK. There are an estimated 274,000 patients in the UK waiting 11 days or more following a scan to find out whether or not they have the disease. AI interpretation of chest X-rays can save 15% in radiologists’ workload, reduce costs and, when combined with interpretation by a consultant radiologist, can reduce missed lung cancer cases by 60%. Rolling this type of tech out nationally could speed up lung cancer diagnosis, saving thousands of lives.
Another example, genomic medicine, can be similarly life-changing. Today, genomic screening can spot predisposition to big killers such as cancer or heart disease in babies, diagnose rare diseases and help personalise treatments. With the power of genomics, we could help every one of us live a healthier life, prevent more illness and take more care of our lifestyle choices.
To harness the revolution in science and technology will require huge drive, strategic leadership and breaking down the barriers that are holding it back. It means new incentives to innovate throughout the NHS, with fewer barriers to adopting scientific breakthroughs, fewer unnecessary hurdles to clear to get new treatments adopted, less bureaucracy, more clinical trials and a government properly backing our life sciences industries.
The NHS needs to change. Our plan deals first with the immediate crisis. But to make the NHS fit for the future will require an unflinching commitment to harnessing the possibilities of science and technology. If we do so, I am optimistic the NHS will not only survive but thrive for the decades to come.
Keir Starmer is leader of the Labour party and MP for Holborn and St Pancras