Preparing the NHS for a digital future

As the NHS celebrates its 70th anniversary, UCL researchers are helping to assess how new technologies including genomics, artificial intelligence and bionanotechnology, will shape the future of healthcare in the UK for decades to come. An independent review - the Topol Technology Review - has been commissioned to assess the impact of new technologies on the training of staff in the NHS, and an open call for evidence was released by Health Education England today. It will look at appropriate training needs for exisiting and future NHS staff to use digital technologies for better delivery of treatment and care to patients, as well as increase efficiencies in the healthcare system, freeing up some time for healthcare professionals. "With over 1.2 million staff in England, the NHS is one of the five largest employers in the world. It is vital that we train current and future NHS staff to use new technologies, including genomics and point of care tests, to diagnose disease much earlier than ever before, and to improve patient care" said Professor Rachel McKendry (London Centre for Nanotechnology at UCL and i-sense EPSRC IRC Director) who is playing a key role in the Review. Led by cardiologist, geneticist, and digital medicine researcher Dr Eric Topol and facilitated by Health Eduction England, this major independent review brings together a Board of leading experts in genomics, digital medicine, artifical intelligence (AI), and robotics. "We desperately need innovation in healthcare.