elehealth faces its moment of truth over the next few years. Championed by the English government, but questioned by critics over a perceived lack of evidence, it has become a divisive issue at a time of strangled budgets and pressured services.
As CCGs across England begin rolling out telehealth services, will the national drive be remembered as an essential innovation for a modern health service, or a flop like the National Programme for IT?
If agreed, the move would deliver ongoing annual savings of £1.6m for Taunton Deane BC and £300,000 for West Somerset DC.
The changes would require a £2.7m one-off investment to cover the likes of staff termination, IT and programme costs.
Read more: GB: South West England: Districts to approve shared services plan
The UK open data initiative – through which departments open up data by default for public use - is universally acknowledged as a force for democratic good. There is a tendency to see the initiative as the 'little white bunny' of public management reform – impossible to criticise, unequivocally positive, and capable of fulfilling multiple objectives, including improved governance, greater transparency and innovation. But where is the evidence?
The first thing to say is that we need more data about open data to be able to make a real judgement.
GPs should embrace telehealth as a way to reduce their workload burden and improve patient services, Ann Wagner, director of strategy and business development at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, has said.
Speaking at the recent Rural Health Network conference, ‘ Challenging Times - One Year On: Working together to deliver effective rural health services', Ms Wagner told GPs that they could reduce home visits and provide patients with instant access to specialist care if they adopted new technology.
The study, conducted by the Nuffield Trust, showed that patients using telehealth contacted GPs as often as those who did not, concluding it will not reduce GPs’ workloads, despite Government claims that telehealth scheme will reduce the burden on GPs.
This follows a similar study this week that showed that telemonitoring fails to cut hospital admissions for COPD patients, and other studies that have called into question the benefits and value of telehealth, including the Government’s own Whole Systems Demonstrator study.
Read more: GB: 'No evidence' that telehealth reduces GPs' workload