5G-powered health and social support would allow for several aspects of healthcare to be done remotely and lead to massive savings for the NHS.
New tech to save time and money for NHS (Image: Getty)
Under-pressure, NHS could make savings of £1billion a year by embracing new technology that would revolutionise patient care, according to a report by expert analysts.
Extensive modelling by WPI Economics found that 5G-powered health and social support would enable many aspects of healthcare to be done remotely via high-quality, high-speed video connection, making massive savings in time and money.
The analysis, commissioned by Vodafone UK, estimates that it could cut almost £1billion off the country’s health and social care budget of around £180billion – enough to pay for 15,400 more full-time nurses.
Such advancements are likely to be welcomed by healthcare professionals. A separate study of NHS nurses found that 40 per cent of them believe the biggest barrier to transforming the health service is lack of investment in new technology.
Almost 90 per cent of nurses questioned felt they should have a say on which parts of the NHS would most benefit from new tech.
The results of the two studies come as it was revealed that the proposed merger of mobile giants Vodafone and Three will see £11billion invested into 5G in the UK providing every hospital with access to standalone 5G by 2030.
Anne-Marie Vine-Lott, Director of Health at Vodafone UK, said: “We’re committed to working with healthcare providers to overcome barriers and support the more effective use of technology in the NHS – supporting investment in the right areas, at the right times, and with the right help to make every new tech rollout a success for patients and staff.
“Nurses are some of the biggest advocates and adopters for the use of technology in healthcare and are highly engaged in the NHS’s use of digital technologies.
“They recognise how technologies like Vodafone’s 5G Standalone network can unlock huge benefits for patients and the NHS workforce – so now’s the time to listen to them and act.”
The expert modelling analysis took into consideration the benefits brought about by remote patient care where check-ups and monitoring take place from home, liberating patients and practitioners from a more rigid, timetabled approach to medicine and freeing up beds for those most in need.
The findings clearly demonstrate the value of investment in technology in the NHS and the significant impact this can have on health care and ultimately supporting better patient outcomes.
The Vodafone study found that deploying tech to see faster medical test results was a topic that united the public view with that of nurses, with 62 per cent of nurses and 41 per cent of the general public agreed.
Nurses were also optimistic about the potential of electronic patient records (44 per cent) and better data sharing (43 per cent) to improve patient experience.
Invalid email
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info
