Source · Select Committees · Health and Social Care Committee
Eighth Report - Digital transformation in the NHS
Health and Social Care Committee
HC 223
Published 30 June 2023
Recommendations
3
Deferred
Publish timetable for new NHS App and comprehensive communication plan for its benefits.
Recommendation
We recommend that the Department and NHS England set out in response to this report: (a) A timetable for introducing the new, “native” NHS App, and (b) Their plan for communicating the benefits and features offered by the new App …
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Government Response Summary
The government's response addresses initiatives to recruit and professionalise the Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) workforce through graduate schemes, apprenticeships, and defining job roles, but does not provide the requested timetable or communication plans for the NHS App.
Department of Health and Social Care
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6
Deferred
Para 46
Implement DDaT Pay Framework for NHS England specialists to improve recruitment and retention.
Recommendation
To ensure that the NHS is able to recruit the best candidates and sustainably meet demand for DDaT specialists, now and in the future, we recommend that the Department apply to implement the DDaT Pay Framework for NHS England DDaT …
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Government Response Summary
The government's response details various past and ongoing programs aimed at supporting patients, carers, and health service staff with digital skills and promoting NHS App awareness, rather than addressing the recommendation to implement a DDaT Pay Framework for specialists to aid recruitment.
Department of Health and Social Care
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7
Deferred
Para 50
Integrate digital training throughout all wider NHS professional learning programmes for staff.
Recommendation
Investment in the NHS’s specialist digital workforce needs to be matched by investment in the wider workforce’s forces digital skills. It is important that digital is understood as a thread that runs throughout healthcare, not as a specialist skill set …
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Government Response Summary
The government discusses general digital exclusion and past initiatives like the Widening Digital Participation programme. It states it will continue to investigate and learn from existing models without committing to integrating digital training into NHS professional training programmes for the wider workforce.
Department of Health and Social Care
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Conclusions (2)
2
Conclusion
Deferred
Para 27
The pandemic provided a unique incentive to download the NHS App, because it hosted the Covid-19 pass. The new version of the App should bring benefits in terms of functionality, integration and personalisation, but it will require people to download it anew. The Department and NHS England announced improvements to …
Government Response Summary
The government's response focuses on interoperability across local systems and institutions, the publication of a draft strategy, and the availability of shared care records, rather than addressing how it will demonstrate the continued value of the NHS App to its users.
8
Conclusion
Deferred
Para 55
Without staff engagement in the entire process of introducing digital initiatives, digital transformation risks being perceived as an unwelcome, time-consuming imposition on an already over-stretched workforce. Co-designing digital initiatives with staff—including, but not limited to clinicians—is essential to ensure that these offer workable improvements to existing practices. The Department and …
Government Response Summary
The government's response focuses on surfacing digital therapeutics via the NHS App and public messaging to encourage their use, completely failing to address the recommendation regarding ensuring staff have time and headspace for co-designing digital initiatives.