"Information saves lives. Information professionals need
to step forward and play their part in creating an NHS that is
founded on quality, evidence and empowerment" said Matthew
Swindells, acting CIO for health at the Department of Health, when
asked to comment on his involvement in the upcoming BCS HC2008
conference.
The future strategy for information within the NHS will be the
theme of his keynote speech at this year's HC conference, which is
celebrating its 25th anniversary.
This year's event comprises 10 mini conferences, with delegates
able to take in a whole conference stream, or mix and match
sessions according to their interests. The opening session will
feature Matthew Swindells and Rachel Burnett, president of the BCS.
Matthew's presentation will focus, in particular, on IT's role in
supporting and catalysing the changes that will be described in
lord Darzi's Next Stage Review.
Some 60 years ago, the NHS was created to ensure equal access to
healthcare across the UK. In the year of its historic anniversary,
the focus of the government has shifted from providing healthcare
to the masses to improving the clinical experience of the
individual. This year, the HC conference, as ever committed to
exploring how cutting-edge technology can be used to best deliver
care, picks out this theme over the three day event, which takes
place from 21 to 23 April.
Stephen Kay, chairman of the HC 2008 Programme Committee, said,
"The traditional barriers between organisations, professions and
individual practitioners are already beginning to crumble, and new
working partnerships are in the making, focused on making a better
joined-up service for each patient. As a result, it is now
imperative that everyone in these new multidisciplinary teams
understands the information needs of their colleagues more fully
and uses the tools that ICTs offer to deliver them - information is
the lifeblood of an integrated service."
Day one of the conference will focus on implementing national
programmes, understanding current priorities and future challenges,
making innovative technologies work and building capability in
people and services.
Day two will also further explore the implementation of national
programmes - including the perspective of Wales, Scotland and the
US - as well as supporting access, disability and diversity and
understanding healthcare.
Day three takes understanding healthcare, delivery of care
across sectors, managing risk and supporting research as its
overarching themes. In particular, it will focus on the role of
general practice in delivering clinical care.
The conference sessions, organised by BCS Health Informatics
Forum, will, as usual, be accompanied by an exhibition, run by the
British Journal of Healthcare Computing & Information
Management.
>> More information
on the conference
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More information on the
exhibition