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New NHS tech body will launch in July

Health Secretary Matt Hancock recently (03 April 2019) confirmed the appointment of Matthew Gould as the new CEO of NHSX. Mr Gould has previously held roles as the UK ambassador to Israel, and is currently the Director General for Digital & Media at DCMS.

The Health Secretary has put interoperability at the top of Mr Gould’s to do list, stating that NHSX will ensure that “all new NHS technology will be designed in a way that ensures different systems can talk to each other.” The joining up of data was a key theme in techUK’s Manifesto for Matt, published by techUK in November.

NHSX is due to become operational in July and will mandate the use of internationally-recognised tech and data standards to join up data across the NHS. These include:

• A consistent language of clinical terms to help staff share information, such as patient records, seamlessly across health and care settings, improving patient safety
• Successful projects and technology developed within the NHS will be required to publish findings to allow evidenced innovations to be adopted elsewhere quickly
• Suppliers will need to demonstrate they can meet strict criteria before the NHS pays for their services. NHS organisations will be expected to demonstrate they are compliant with standards across their estate.

Commenting on the emerging shape of NHSX and its new CEO, techUK CEO Julian David recently said:

“There is broad consensus that NHS technology simply isn’t good enough. Patients have to repeat the same information; clinicians spend hours logging on to outdated systems; and managers can’t access the data they need to make big decisions.

“Meanwhile, health tech innovators are faced with slow and burdensome procurement; with different requirements from different NHS bodies.

“We are delighted that the Secretary of State has launched NHSX to align and accelerate the digitisation of the sector. With an open door to the tech industry, the NHS can access the best technology in the world and we hope that the launch of NHSX marks a step change in that direction.

“In Matthew Gould, NHSX has appointed a Chief Executive with a depth of experience at the intersection of technology and the public sector. In his role at DCMS Matthew has showed that he understands the digital landscape in the UK and the global competition for technology talent and investment. We have worked closely with Matthew to help nurture a digital ecosystem where great ideas can become successful, scalable companies and there is a huge opportunity to do just that in the health sector.

“We look forward to working with him to propel the UK into a destination of choice for health tech innovation.”