Executive Chair of InnoScot Health, Graham Watson analyses the huge value which existing tech can realise for NHS Scotland

Healthcare innovation headlines are often made by the most impressive technologies – the likes of artificial intelligence (AI) and predictive medicine immediately spring to mind.

They capture the imagination, and rightly so given the exciting possibilities they offer and positive results which they are already producing, but of course they are not the entire solution. Instead, they represent effective pieces in the bigger puzzle that will eventually become the future of healthcare.

What also creates news headlines is spending that seeks to address the most pressing NHS concerns. Yet, such solutions do not always achieve the required result.

Akin to a leaking pipe, you can patch the hole in the short-term and the dripping immediately stops, but that does not mean the patch is necessarily an enduring solution. You might need to invest in an entirely new pipe.

In other words, by focusing on short term solutions, we may be left less able to focus spending on longer-term transformational change.

Grassroots thinking is also required then, and what is often less talked about is what is available in the here and now that can produce lasting results.

If the NHS is to do more with less and fundamentally work smarter, then we need to look at the tools that are already at our disposal and which do not require significant fresh resource – just more targeted approaches to how they are implemented and used.

That includes digital solutions for better leveraging of data to ensure that patients receive coordinated, seamless care; information shared quickly and securely between health professionals throughout the care journey; and digitally trained clinicians being increasingly unburdened of administrative processes allowing them to better focus on caring for their patients.

In essence, greater efficiency, systemic sustainability, less siloed systems, and giving back to clinicians that which they increasingly have less and less of – time.

If that digital shift in processes is managed effectively and then continuously monitored to identify potential improvements, it also likely translates to improved staff retention with clinicians able to make more confident decisions amid today’s challenging, often pressured work environment.

Secure and centralised cloud-based systems offer real time analytics, providing an at-a-glance dashboard of patient progress, including diagnoses, tests, and treatments, in tandem with the best possible accessibility across Scotland’s often nuanced healthcare system.

Most people are now familiar and comfortable with storing sensitive information securely in the cloud given just how much of our day to day lives are now kept there – and clinicians are no different, making NHS adoption a relatively straightforward culture change.

Indeed, there are great clinician-led examples already making waves, underlining the vast potential for existing solutions to be leveraged. Dr Matthew Freer, a consultant anaesthetist, is also CEO and co-founder of Infix Support – a cloud-based tech company focused on improving the efficiency of surgical operating theatres and tackling patient wait lists. His role in honing a more intuitive system for operating theatre utilisation is considered to be a game-changer.

Last year, InnoScot Health revealed the results of its independent survey of NHS Scotland workforce attitudes towards innovation, finding a marked enthusiasm to engage with new approaches and utilise technology to aid processes.

A total of 88% ranked big data and analytics – using gathered data to uncover hidden patterns and correlations for better decision-making and greater efficiency in healthcare delivery – as one of the most important areas for innovation in the future.

Also ranking 88%, digital apps – delivering information for patients, care providers and researchers, real-time patient monitoring, collecting community and clinical health data, and more – was a further prime focus for the workforce.

During this time of recovery and renewal, rapidly scalable digital innovations shaping the future of NHS Scotland must be integrated into its constantly evolving systemic architecture – exactly where they can have greatest impact – breaking down barriers, improving lives, and enhancing organisational efficiency.

When negativity can often predominate in NHS-related headlines, it is encouraging to note that we have a workforce responding positively and saying it is ready for a modern, agile, and sustainable health care system.