Getting the most out of IT investments

The new coalition government has made it clear that public spending must be cut and that a shake-up of the NHS is imminent. NHS managers will be understandably concerned about where savings can be made. However, there is a danger that they could make the wrong choices when it comes to NHS IT.

Some NHS trusts have embraced technology and developed it in line with their strategies and agendas. This has helped them to manage targets and budgets and delivered positive improvements in patient care. Other trusts have invested in hardware and software, but have been slow to adapt it to a changing environment and utilise their systems to their full potential.

As a technological solutions provider, one of HD Clinical’s main challenges is to guide trusts in using technology to its full potential. It also helps them to make the case for technology that can modernise systems and show a real return on investment.

Kyle Marchant, deputy head of cardiology at West Suffolk Hospital NHS Trust, argues that now budgets are tighter than ever, the focus needs to be on technologies that have already been used heavily in other industries, such as touch screens and text messaging. Without investment, he adds, the NHS risks “being left behind by modern medicine around the world.”