The DH’s new strategy includes its commitments to improve the development of digital skills needed across the organisation, day-to-day efficiency, and impact of its open policy making. At the same time, the DH will also steward the health and care system towards a ‘health information revolution’.
“Going digital means that public services can be more efficient, more transparent and more effective,” said Dr Dan Poulter, Parliamentary under-secretary of state for health. He added that the government’s digital strategy has a bold and simple ambition: to re-design government services, to place them online and to make them straightforward and convenient.
To start with early this year, the DH will pilot a formal project to educate policymakers in the use of digital and adopt a ‘digital first’ approach to all communications activity and evaluation. It will also consider building upon the work already completed including the NHS Choices website and app that have been used by millions on UK citizens in the past year.
It will also look to build upon the work already completed, such as the NHS Choices website and app that have been used by millions on UK residents in the past year.
“There are many advantages to going digital, both for users and for taxpayers. The most obvious improvement will be making public services easier to use, giving people access to services online, reducing the number of forms they need to fill in, giving people the information they need to help them in their everyday lives.” Dr Poulter pointed out.
He added that some technologies – notably telehealth and telecare that empowered patients to be treated at home - are a “powerful way to improve services while significantly reducing costs”. He suggested that this strategy can save as much as £1.8 billion (US$2.9 billion) every year.
Making the DH more transparent is as part of an effort to share more information, and being more communicative over the digital space. This comes a years after the government led by Health Secretary Andrew Lansley began ‘Maps and Apps’ programme at the end of 2011. The programme is a campaign to crowdsource the most popular apps for health, allow and encourage general practitioners to initiate apps for patients to manage their own health.
---
Autor(en)/Author(s): Thanya Kunakornpaiboonsiri
Quelle/Source: futureGov, 14.01.2013
Bitte besuchen Sie/Please visit:
