Get the basics right before NHS ‘digital revolution’ – Yorkshire Post letters

ENSURING NHS IT systems and infrastructure are fit for purpose is fundamental for improving patient care and advances in technology have the potential to transform the lives of both healthcare staff and patients.

We must walk before we can run, and getting the basics right must be the priority ahead of any promised ‘digital revolution’. The Royal College’s manifesto echoes what the BMA has been saying for some years about IT in general practice and across the health service.

A recent survey of BMA members found that a quarter felt that IT systems at their place of work are not fit for purpose, with over half reporting that the current IT infrastructure significantly increases their day-to-day workload.

To this end, the BMA wrote to the Health and Social Care Secretary earlier this month outlining our own recommendations for IT in the NHS. Basic hardware must be upgraded to meet a national standards, while patient experience and staff education and training must all be considered as key factors for achieving digital transformation.

Only when systems can seamlessly communicate can we fully embrace a collaborative way of working.