NHSX, with NHS England and NHS Improvement will be exploring setting a minimum level of tech spend for NHS trusts.
Included within the NHS Operational Planning and Contracting Guidance 2020/2021 the organisations will be exploring the level of funding required so the NHS achieves digital transformation by 2024.
NHSX will work with systems to define ‘what good looks like’ and systems and providers will be expected to set out clear plans to work towards the agreed ambitions by 2024. The document stated expectations will be embedded in the CQC inspection framework and the Single Oversight Framework.
The paper also highlighted the organisation will seek to identify high impact solutions “To support productivity improvements in 2020/21 NHSX, with NHS England and NHS Improvement, will identify the high impact productivity enhancing solutions which all relevant NHS organisations should be using. Where appropriate NHSX will negotiate licence agreements to drive best value for the NHS, which NHS organisations may then fund themselves. NHSX will also put in place deployment teams to help organisations effectively implement these applications.”
“Early in 2020/21 NHSX will set out its approach to mandating technology, security and data standards across the health and care system, which all systems and organisations will be expected to comply with.”
“NHSX will also set out how technology funding should work, including:
- funding for the digitisation of providers will be targeted through a new digital aspirant programme and will not be split equally across all organisations.
- clarity on who pays for what, in particular what technology costs providers will be expected to pay for themselves.
- other programmes to improve outcomes and relieve the frustrations for frontline staff, for example on solutions which will reduce the time that staff spend logging onto different systems.”
“In the meantime, we expect systems and providers will want to ensure an appropriate level of investment in tech to achieve full use of modern digitised technology in the NHS digitisation of the NHS by 2024. Investment in technology, done in the right way, improves care, increases productivity, reduces the burden on staff freeing up more time to care, helps manage demand by enabling care to take place in the right setting and improving patient experience. It therefore makes sense to invest in technology now, to realise the benefits throughout the period of the NHS Long Term Plan and meet forthcoming standards of interoperability and cyber security.”
“NHSX, with NHS England and NHS Improvement, will be engaging with systems and providers to determine if there is a minimum and optimal indicative benchmark level of “technology revenue spend linked to digital maturity standards that are under development, what that level might be; and how they might move towards it over time. This does not preclude future bids on central technology and applies to revenue only. This will partly relate to the multi-year capital settlement the government has committed to providing the NHS.”
