Here at HTN we recently covered the Fuller stocktake, the review commissioned by NHS England and NHS Improvement to explore what is working well in integrated primary care and why, and how implementation can be accelerated. One of the areas covered in the report was the role of digital and how it underpins integrated care, with Dr Fuller highlighting the importance of interoperable IT systems and the need for digital transformation to be embedded holistically.
To further explore the views of healthcare professionals on the future of digital systems in primary care, HTN set up our first poll of many, focusing on what the the future [five years from now] might look like for core GP clinical system suppliers – will the market remain the same, or do you think there will be change?
We posed the question on LinkedIn and in our newsletter: five years from now, how many GP clinical system (core electronic health record) suppliers do you think there will be?
166 votes came in – within 3 days – from a wide variety of roles and specialisms, from chief medical officers, chief clinical officers, heads of digital transformation, directors of strategy, to industry.
51 percent of respondents believe that the market will not see any significant change, with three or less suppliers available in five years’ time.
The other half of respondents were split more optimistically; 25 percent expect to see a much wider choice, with seven or more suppliers competing for clients, whilst the remaining 24 percent expect to see between four and six suppliers available.
We’ll be digging deeper into the question in the coming days with a comment piece from healthcare professionals, to give them the opportunity to expand on their views, as well as exploring innovation in primary care, and fostering an innovative supplier marketplace.
The comment piece will be shared here on HTN soon – be sure to keep an eye out. To comment, please email amy@htn.co.uk.
