The health minister's new vision document on better NHS tech is MAGNIFICENT, and VERY NERDY (that's a good thing).
Now it's time for all of us to contribute.
I've written some thoughts on how to get YOUR ideas under the nose of government, here:
healthtech.blog.gov.uk/2018/10/18/an-…
Now it's time for all of us to contribute.
I've written some thoughts on how to get YOUR ideas under the nose of government, here:
healthtech.blog.gov.uk/2018/10/18/an-…
... FIRSTLY.
People in Whitehall really do notice what's being written by those of us outside the bubble. It shapes a collective view.
Smart arguments are picked up, they creep into documents and conversations. Positive support is noted and shapes the tone of discussion...
People in Whitehall really do notice what's being written by those of us outside the bubble. It shapes a collective view.
Smart arguments are picked up, they creep into documents and conversations. Positive support is noted and shapes the tone of discussion...
..It may not seem so from outside, but it's true.
Your good examples are co-opted by wonks to make a case.
Your single horror stories are arbitrarily picked up by senior folk muttering: “Martin, can you find out exactly what went wrong here please?”
(Sorry Martin....)
Your good examples are co-opted by wonks to make a case.
Your single horror stories are arbitrarily picked up by senior folk muttering: “Martin, can you find out exactly what went wrong here please?”
(Sorry Martin....)
.. So it's always worth responding, and writing.
(already people are asking how twitter snark is co-opted into govt policy... the answer is, if you're grouchy, people just glaze over, i think....)
(already people are asking how twitter snark is co-opted into govt policy... the answer is, if you're grouchy, people just glaze over, i think....)
... SECONDLY.
Secondly, it’s worth thinking about what governments can actually DO.
Describe the steps they can take to make the world as you wish it.
Want vendors to do something? Describe the market forces, spend controls, or standard contracts that could achieve it..
Secondly, it’s worth thinking about what governments can actually DO.
Describe the steps they can take to make the world as you wish it.
Want vendors to do something? Describe the market forces, spend controls, or standard contracts that could achieve it..
... Want a workforce with specific characteristics? Describe the training programme, accreditation, apprenticeships or career pathways and which organisations or people could best deliver them....
.. and LASTLY: timing really matters.
Right now, in @MattHancock we have a Secretary of State with a detailed focus on software, data and the change it can bring. This is *very* good news, but it means you need to act now..
Right now, in @MattHancock we have a Secretary of State with a detailed focus on software, data and the change it can bring. This is *very* good news, but it means you need to act now..
..Think of it like this. Right now, there’s a trolley, trundling through Whitehall and the NHS, with 'Make NHS IT Better' written on the side. If you throw your thoughts into that trolley, right now, they will join all the other ideas, problems and plans...
... They’ll all get looked at and cooked with. If you’ve tried before, try again, right now, because if you wait too long, it might be too late. It’s like buying glacé cherries: they’re great for Christmas pudding, but in June there’s nowhere in the cupboard to keep them...
..SO
That 600 word piece you’ve been sitting on? Finish it. Whether it’s on how to make pathology data more open and useful, a tool you’d love to have as a clinician or patient, a barrier you’ve hit as a developer, something you love or hate in the vision document.. Do it now..
That 600 word piece you’ve been sitting on? Finish it. Whether it’s on how to make pathology data more open and useful, a tool you’d love to have as a clinician or patient, a barrier you’ve hit as a developer, something you love or hate in the vision document.. Do it now..
..Can I say the word "NOW" again please? These chances are rare. We need to act. To get contracts changed, a nerdier NHS workforce built, and to get better tools built and used across the NHS. And that last bit, to be clear, is the absolute key…
.. If we can get better use of data, and happy developers making great tech tools, in only some corners of the NHS, the rest will have to follow. Once you romp through the barriers, somewhere, anywhere, it’s no longer possible for anyone to say it’s impossible.
ONWARD!
ONWARD!
