Matt Hancock delivered a speech at the Future of Healthcare Investor Forum, and focused on the future of Britain’s healthcare.
Hancock started off by noting that by the number of people attending the event and the range of people from different areas and backgrounds, that there are many who support Britain after Brexit.
There are various topics that would need to be addressed after Brexit. Mainly building new housing, combating climate change, supporting enterprise, tackling low pay and making sure the healthcare system is world class.
The biggest challenge Britain will face in 2020, is ensuring that all benefit from free enterprise and economic growth. For him, Britain staying at the forefront of biotech, healthtech, AI scientific research, genomics and healthcare innovation isn’t just about ensuring a world-class NHS, or a strong economy, but about Britain winning the 4th industrial revolution.
Creating high-skilled, well-paid tech jobs of the future must be done in Britain. It is vital that British businesses shape future technology and that British values drive progress so that all can benefit from it.
Embracing innovation in health care is one ways of ensuring that future changes are a success. Opening the health service to innovators found in academia, business, or anywhere else in the world is key to supporting and driving healthcare forward.
Hancock said he was very excited to officially launch a new collaboration between Amazon and the NHS, pairing their market-leading Alexa device with the NHS’ expert medical advice.
The information sick people need to access will be NHS information. This collaboration between Alexa and the NHS will especially benefit people like the elderly, the visually impaired and blind, who depend on voice-activated tech because they struggle with other devices.
Internet self-diagnoses can be very dangerous, so with this collaboration, Alexa’s algorithms will use medical verified information directly from the NHS which will provide accurate guidance and answer any medical questions.
With this information, people will know when to visit the A&E, when to treat common illnesses with the assistance of a pharmacist, or when to make an appointment with their GP. This will greatly reduce the pressure on the NHS.
Hancock went on to say that they are aiming to build similar relationships with Apple, Google, and anyone else who is building similar tech that people use every day.
The NHS can help healthtech companies get the finances they need to improve innovation by being involved form the get-go: by specifying what the NHS need for diagnostics, therapeutics, devices and digital management. This will also ensure that British healthtech firms and life sciences companies can develop their products faster and bring the benefits to staff and patients sooner.
The NHS and the future of healthcare as a whole, is changing its focus from treatment to prevention which will help maintain good health through early intervention.
Hancock ending off by saying: “Because what else is a business, but people coming together to create a solution to other people’s problems? And solving the problem so well that people are prepared to pay you for the effort.
So let’s back innovators, let’s back our NHS and let’s back Britain so we can keep leading the world in healthcare”.
Article Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/keeping-britain-at-the-forefront-of-healthtech
