UK public increasingly concerned over NHS data sovereignty

Eye on AI

Data sovereignty of course extends beyond where data is physically located, but also how it ends up being used and analysed by tech platforms, including AI.

VMware found a diverse range of opinions regarding the use of AI in healthcare, with 45% of respondents saying they were open to its use to improve NHS services, and 44% happy for the NHS to use AI if it meant they could get diagnosed quicker. A quarter, however, said they were against any use of AI in the UK health system.

Darren Adcock, senior product manager at Redcentric, a UK-based MSP that has worked extensively with NHS bodies, said: “While there are vast rewards to be harvested through applying AI to healthcare data, we have to remember that each datapoint relates to a patient, and every patient should trust that their privacy is maintained.

“By harnessing the power of AI and advanced technologies within a secure and sovereign cloud framework, the NHS ensures that groundbreaking advancements in healthcare never compromise patient privacy and trust,” he said. “Sovereign clouds serve as a pivotal enabler, allowing the NHS to drive progress responsibly, ethically and with the utmost dedication to patient wellbeing.”

Will Venters, associate professor of information systems at the London School of Economics, added: “Ongoing digital transformation and the increased use of emerging technologies such as AI have spurred both excitement for true innovation to revolutionise our NHS, but also a new urgency for how this boom in data will be securely managed and stored.

“With the increased use of multiple clouds to create, store and distribute apps – apps which the NHS relies on, from frontline clinicians through to optimising operations – it’s essential to patient trust that the NHS protects sensitive patient data, and this can be achieved by protecting it with sovereign clouds,” he said. “AI has created new data opportunities, so it’s critical the NHS can make better use of its data, to build a resilient and patient-centric healthcare system that the UK needs.”

Cyber training options for NHS

Meanwhile, networking specialist Cisco has opened the doors on a new branch of its Cisco Networking Academy (CNA), dedicated to helping NHS clinicians and staff improve their digital and cyber security skills – in support of the government’s NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, a focus of which is upskilling workers to operate in and protect digitised healthcare systems.

On offer will be a variety of self-guided and instructor-led courses targeting everything from cyber basics to more advanced skillsets and specialism in areas such as endpoint protection or network security.

Elizabeth Barr, head of CNA for the UK and Ireland, said: “To future-proof the NHS for the next 75 years, awareness of how to keep it safe from cyber attacks will be paramount.

“In collaboration with the Open University, the new Cisco Networking Academy for the NHS will help close the current cyber security skills gap, ensuring everyone is empowered to help safeguard the future of our health service, as well as acquire new and exciting skills in an increasingly critical field.”