Dr Simon Eccles has tweeted his five key priorities for IT in the NHS.
The new NHS national CCIO, who was officially appointed on Tuesday, took to social media on Friday (16 February) to state that his main focus would be to let patients “view records and care plan”.
His other four priorities were:
- ‘Recognise “going digital” is a core part of our business’
- ‘Deliver the stuff we’ve said we’ll do’
- ‘Deliver standards for interoperability’
- ‘Support research and “business intelligence”’
Priorities
5 things for NHS IT to do this year: 1. Let pts view records and care plan 2. Recognise ‘going digital’ is a core part of our business 3. deliver the stuff we’ve said we’ll do 4. Deliver standards for interoperability 5. Support research and ‘business intelligence’
— Simon Eccles (@NHSCCIO) February 15, 2018
One Twitter user questioned Dr Eccles’ first priority, saying, “Viewing your care plan is all very well.. having something at my fingertips that helps me live well with my condition is something else”.
In response, Dr Eccles said: “Aiming for a whole world of support apps sitting on top of record access (eg a hypertension app which knows your BP and kidney function) This app work is real and being done, but we must gets the basics done first.”
Another user addressed the so-called “elephant in the room” and said Dr Eccles should look into how “most clinical systems in clinical settings are unusable by clinicians”.
Dr Eccles responded: Yes yes yes! I’ve worked with some truly dreadful clinical software. Too few vendors, out of date interfaces and minimal interoperability.
“A vibrant software market, FHIR data standards, national strategic authentication, local single sign on all needed.”
Yes yes yes! I’ve worked with some truly dreadful clinical software. Too few vendors, out of date interfaces and minimal interoperability. A vibrant software market, FHIR data standards, national strategic authentication, local single sign on all needed.
— Simon Eccles (@NHSCCIO) February 16, 2018
Dr Eccles replaced professor Keith McNeil, who stood down in December.
Under the title, Dr Eccles will chair the NHS National Information Board, be a Board Member of NHS Digital, and work collaboratively with NHS Improvement, Public Health England, Care Quality Commission and NICE.
1 March 2018 @ 14:54
Speed of uptake – particularly for the many apps which are seen as lesser priorities for the NHS…implementing these at scale is relatively straightforward and will deliver many quick wins pretty cheaply, thereby also releasing resources and funds to focus on bigger digital implementations (and the bigger the projects, often the longer these take to implement at scale).
26 February 2018 @ 12:48
Simon Eccles’ priorities are admirable, but have something of the “motherhood statement” about them. They need some blood, sweat and tears if he is to make them happen.
– “patients “view records and care plan”.
Yes, but the patient records must be comprehensive. Mine aren’t. Treatments and tests by local hospital G do appear on the GP’s record, but treatments done by hospital H don’t appear. My record is therefore positively misleading. The moral is that ALL hospitals should be able to transfer seamlessly events and data to ALL GPs.
Dividing the country into incompatible chunks is just not good enough.
– ‘Recognise “going digital” is a core part of our business’. Yes, but a lot of clinicians still do not recognise this. Persuading them is the hard part. If Simon Eccles can do this, he will really have achieved something. But he must admit that none of his predecessors have achieved this.
– ‘Deliver the stuff we’ve said we’ll do’ Yes, indeed. Connecting for Health said in 203 it would connect all hospital trusts with all GPs. In 2018, 15 years later we have hardly made a start. About five years ago, discharge summaries were supposed to be sent digitally to GPs within 24 hours. Very few are. About ten years ago, hospital records were supposed to carry patients’ NHS numbers. Even now, not all do. The trouble is that hospitals put two fingers up to most IT directives that come from DfH or NHse. Bottom-up rules OK.
– ‘Deliver standards for interoperability’ Eccles has to beat standards into hospital trusts and private suppliers – in the nicest possible way. Again, his predecessors have never managed to do this. Conversely, he has also got to train the NHS IT crowd to become better salesmen/women for IT systems. So far most clinicians consider IT people to be a load of weirdos.
– ‘Support research and “business intelligence”’ Yes indeed, but first he has to give reasons to clinicians why sharing data is good for patients, and is not contrary to their Hippocratic oath. And he has to engage them in meaningful discussions about security.
23 February 2018 @ 17:02
1st Priority is to be honest with yourself and the public, without this other priorities are meaningless
23 February 2018 @ 14:16
Congratulations to Simon and I wish you all good luck. Surely health & social care integration should be a priority, for the DHSC and Accountable Care / Integrated Care organisations?
22 February 2018 @ 18:01
First things first. Stop patient/clinician communication being an email-free zone. Enter the 21st century.
20 February 2018 @ 00:14
Who does Dr Eccles work to: so who is his boss, does he have sway over the Royal Colleges or Authority to over rule recalcitrant clinicians
18 February 2018 @ 11:32
This is a set of priorities I can get behind. It won’t be easy though https://www.digitalhealth.net/2017/05/joes-view-leadership-cultural-revolution-health-informatics/