UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid used his speech at London Tech Week on Tuesday to call for the "opportunities of digital transformation" to be spread across the whole of the country's National Health Service.
While he described the service as making "great progress" on digital innovation, he said one tenth of the state system was still operating on paper-based systems and 71 per cent of its social care arm has no access to patients' digital medicine records.
"Too much of the system doesn't currently have the basics in place, which frustrates patients and makes life harder for colleagues on the front line," he said.
Mr Javid's paean to technology's transformative powers was pegged on how crucial it has proved in the fight against coronavirus, which he said would have been "so much harder without the technological advances we've made in recent years".
He lauded digital video-calling platforms such as Zoom for allowing businesses to keep operating and friends and family to stay in touch. However, he said "nowhere has tech transformation proved its worth more than in the field of health care".
He paid tribute not only to frontline workers but to the coders and developers whose contributions can go unnoticed.
"We developed an online diagnosis that was able to carry out 750,000 online coronavirus assessments in just one day," he said.
"We used primary care data to securely create the world's largest analysis of coronavirus risk factors at incredible speed.
"And we created a seamless vaccination booking system that was visited 18 million times in a single week."
Mr Javid said he hoped the progress made during the pandemic under "incredible" strain would pave the way for a "long-awaited digital revolution".
He said the building blocks of this revolution would see cybersecurity bolstered, out-of-date technology replaced and the adoption of a "truly integrated system" where health service employees can access patient data regardless of what part of the system they are in.
Digital integration to transform patient care
Digital integration of services has been an albatross around the neck of a series of Mr Javid's predecessors in the Health Ministry but he suggested that by the end of September, 80 per cent of integrated care systems will have a shared record in place, up 65 per cent from six months ago.
The effect of digital integration was made manifest on Mr Javid's recent visit to a hospital in Milton Keynes where he said the time spent searching for patients' records had reduced from 15 minutes to about 30 seconds.
For care homes the increased efficiency would lead to an extra 10 hours of care work per patient, he said.
He predicted efficiency would only increase as the system adjusts to increased digitisation and said it was "no coincidence that the five countries at the top of the Bloomberg health system efficiency table are the ones that have embraced data and data driven technologies".
Bloomberg health system efficiency table - top five
1. Hong Kong
2. Singapore
3. Spain
4. Italy
5. South Korea
As further testament to digital efficiency, he highlighted the NHS app, which now has 16 million users, and online registrations for organ donations, which stand at about 1.5 million in the UK.
Contrasting health care to his previous domain of finance and industry, he flagged up the possibility of more jobs and the genesis of productive offshoots in the manner of mobile banking.
A chorus of criticism has been levelled at how face-to-face appointments with general practitioners and nurses are becoming increasingly rare. Mr Javid acknowledged the concerns but sought to accentuate the positive.
He said many patients discussing mental health appreciated the ability to do so in a familiar and comfortable environment.
He highlighted the diagnostic capabilities that health tech and AI can bring to the aid of an overstretched service. In May, The National revealed how AI played a vital role in the fight against coronavirus.
The examples Mr Javid provided were smartphone apps that can detect warning signs for chronic kidney disease, and a programme that can analyse speech patterns to detect common neurological and psychiatric diseases.
"I'm delighted that over a quarter of NHS trusts in England are deploying at least one solution that's been funded by AI, Health and Care awards," he said.
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
Indika
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THE DEALS
Hamilton $60m x 2 = $120m
Vettel $45m x 2 = $90m
Ricciardo $35m x 2 = $70m
Verstappen $55m x 3 = $165m
Leclerc $20m x 2 = $40m
TOTAL $485m
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
The biog
Name: Shamsa Hassan Safar
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Degree in emergency medical services at Higher Colleges of Technology
Favourite book: Between two hearts- Arabic novels
Favourite music: Mohammed Abdu and modern Arabic songs
Favourite way to spend time off: Family visits and spending time with friends
Paris%20Agreement
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'Shakuntala Devi'
Starring: Vidya Balan, Sanya Malhotra
Director: Anu Menon
Rating: Three out of five stars
Tips for taking the metro
- set out well ahead of time
- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines
- enter the right cabin. The train may be too busy to move between carriages once you're on
- don't carry too much luggage and tuck it under a seat to make room for fellow passengers
Results
Female 49kg: Mayssa Bastos (BRA) bt Thamires Aquino (BRA); points 0-0 (advantage points points 1-0).
Female 55kg: Bianca Basilio (BRA) bt Amal Amjahid (BEL); points 4-2.
Female 62kg: Beatriz Mesquita (BRA) v Ffion Davies (GBR); 10-2.
Female 70kg: Thamara Silva (BRA) bt Alessandra Moss (AUS); submission.
Female 90kg: Gabreili Passanha (BRA) bt Claire-France Thevenon (FRA); submission.
Male 56kg: Hiago George (BRA) bt Carlos Alberto da Silva (BRA); 2-2 (2-0)
Male 62kg: Gabriel de Sousa (BRA) bt Joao Miyao (BRA); 2-2 (2-1)
Male 69kg: Paulo Miyao (BRA) bt Isaac Doederlein (USA); 2-2 (2-2) Ref decision.
Male 77kg: Tommy Langarkar (NOR) by Oliver Lovell (GBR); submission.
Male 85kg: Rudson Mateus Teles (BRA) bt Faisal Al Ketbi (UAE); 2-2 (1-1) Ref decision.
Male 94kg: Kaynan Duarte (BRA) bt Adam Wardzinski (POL); submission.
Male 110kg: Joao Rocha (BRA) bt Yahia Mansoor Al Hammadi (UAE); submission.
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
The%20specs
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Abaya trends
The utilitarian robe held dear by Arab women is undergoing a change that reveals it as an elegant and graceful garment available in a range of colours and fabrics, while retaining its traditional appeal.
The specs: 2019 Audi A8
Price From Dh390,000
Engine 3.0L V6 turbo
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 345hp @ 5,000rpm
Torque 500Nm @ 1,370rpm
Fuel economy, combined 7.5L / 100km
How The Debt Panel's advice helped readers in 2019
December 11: 'My husband died, so what happens to the Dh240,000 he owes in the UAE?'
JL, a housewife from India, wrote to us about her husband, who died earlier this month. He left behind an outstanding loan of Dh240,000 and she was hoping to pay it off with an insurance policy he had taken out. She also wanted to recover some of her husband’s end-of-service liabilities to help support her and her son.
“I have no words to thank you for helping me out,” she wrote to The Debt Panel after receiving the panellists' comments. “The advice has given me an idea of the present status of the loan and how to take it up further. I will draft a letter and send it to the email ID on the bank’s website along with the death certificate. I hope and pray to find a way out of this.”
November 26: ‘I owe Dh100,000 because my employer has not paid me for a year’
SL, a financial services employee from India, left the UAE in June after quitting his job because his employer had not paid him since November 2018. He owes Dh103,800 on four debts and was told by the panellists he may be able to use the insolvency law to solve his issue.
SL thanked the panellists for their efforts. "Indeed, I have some clarity on the consequence of the case and the next steps to take regarding my situation," he says. "Hopefully, I will be able to provide a positive testimony soon."
October 15: 'I lost my job and left the UAE owing Dh71,000. Can I return?'
MS, an energy sector employee from South Africa, left the UAE in August after losing his Dh12,000 job. He was struggling to meet the repayments while securing a new position in the UAE and feared he would be detained if he returned. He has now secured a new job and will return to the Emirates this month.
“The insolvency law is indeed a relief to hear,” he says. "I will not apply for insolvency at this stage. I have been able to pay something towards my loan and credit card. As it stands, I only have a one-month deficit, which I will be able to recover by the end of December."