News

Healthcare and NHS IT

• October 18, 2021 18 Oct'21

  Government launches consultation on future of medical devices

  UK government aims is to gather views on possible changes around innovations in the medical device field, including the creation of a regulatory framework for software and artificial intelligence

• October 15, 2021 15 Oct'21

  Global IT outsourcing sees record spending and no sign of slowing

  Cloud services are being taken up by enterprises rapidly as they accelerate digital transformations

• October 14, 2021 14 Oct'21

  NHS Digital enhances in-house cyber awareness drive

  Keep IT Confidential campaign aims to help NHS staff understand more about security threats and learn how to reduce risk

• October 14, 2021 14 Oct'21

  UK government advances voter ID project

  Cabinet Office-led project will see the introduction of a digital card to be used in future elections

• October 13, 2021 13 Oct'21

  Institutes of Technology launch to upskill adults in tech careers

  Up to 4,000 working professionals will be trained in subjects such as cyber security and agricultural robotics to plug the national skills gap

• October 13, 2021 13 Oct'21

  Government to launch Gov.uk app

  Service to be introduced as part of plans to simplify access to government services

• October 12, 2021 12 Oct'21

  Digital gender gap prompts $1tn GDP loss for developing countries

  A new study by the Web Foundation investigates the economic cost associated with the barriers preventing women from accessing the internet

• October 12, 2021 12 Oct'21

  UK government outlines strengths and weaknesses in innovation

  As part of the government’s overall innovation strategy, an evidence paper lists factors that influence the pace and direction of developments in the field

• October 12, 2021 12 Oct'21

  AI estimated to provide 10% boost to UK GDP by 2030

  AI has financial benefits but there are concerns the technology could displace a significant number of human workers in the next decade, says report

• October 11, 2021 11 Oct'21

  West Midlands expected to grow by £2.7bn with tech sector drive

  The region is expected to create 52,000 job positions in the next four years

• October 08, 2021 08 Oct'21

  Fast-moving Ryuk campaign targets healthcare organisations

  Newly designated FIN12 gang leverages the work of the cyber criminal ecosystem to conduct lightning-fast ransomware attacks

• October 07, 2021 07 Oct'21

  ONS publishes technical learnings of UK’s first online census

  Use of agile delivery and cloud computing were among the highlights of the Census 2021, which received 22 million responses countrywide

• October 07, 2021 07 Oct'21

  Glasgow publishes draft digital housing strategy

  Reducing digital exclusion, improving connectivity and citizen services are part of the plan

• October 06, 2021 06 Oct'21

  US lawmakers propose ransomware reporting rules

  Former presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren lends her support to a bill that would require corporate ransomware victims to disclose more information about their attacks to the authorities

• October 05, 2021 05 Oct'21

  Concerns raised over confidentiality and transparency in government data innovation

  National data guardian Nicola Byrne warns about central principles that should be observed as data-driven innovation gathers pace in areas such as health and care

• October 05, 2021 05 Oct'21

  Direct Line hires former Virgin Atlantic IT chief as CIO

  Ash Jokhoo will be joining the insurance company as a member of the executive board

• October 04, 2021 04 Oct'21

  NHSX publishes IT standards and interoperability priorities

  The creation of an IT strategy, a governance model and an open source playbook are among the areas of focus for the interoperability team of NHSX

• October 04, 2021 04 Oct'21

  NHSX IT chief outlines opportunities of elective recovery tech fund

  Priorities for the digital unit of the health service include remote recovery with virtual wards, pre-surgical digital support, and use of robotic process automation to reduce the administrative burden on staff

• September 29, 2021 29 Sep'21

  UK government announces industry group to lead digital pound debate

  Joint forums set up by HM Treasury and the Bank of England for a Central Bank Digital Currency include representatives from big tech firms, fintechs and incumbent banks

• September 29, 2021 29 Sep'21

  AWS launches programme to advance health equity

  The $40m global health equity programme will fund projects that improve health outcomes for underserved communities

• September 28, 2021 28 Sep'21

  Dutch IT firm transforms HR policy built on lessons from pandemic

  Software firm rips up human resources rule book and replaces it with a hybrid working policy

• September 28, 2021 28 Sep'21

  Government announces data strategy for defence

  The plan sets out the goals around treating data as a strategic asset to be achieved by 2025

• September 27, 2021 27 Sep'21

  Giant Umbrella contractors suffer salary payment delays following suspected ‘data breach’

  Following the discovery of “suspicious network activity” in its systems, payroll processing firm Giant Umbrella has taken itself offline, leaving contractors to fume over missing salary payments

• September 27, 2021 27 Sep'21

  Scotland sees increase in job opportunities in tech

  Driven by startups and scaleups, employment in digital firms in Edinburgh and Glasgow is growing more than in other parts of the UK, according to data

• September 24, 2021 24 Sep'21

  IR35 reforms: HMRC confirms compliance checks under way in financial services, oil and gas sectors

  Less than six months after the roll-out of the IR35 reforms to the private sector, HMRC has confirmed it has started writing letters to companies requesting details of their compliance procedures

• September 24, 2021 24 Sep'21

  Big Data London: NHS Digital data service struggled with Covid testing demands

  A critical component of NHS Digital’s data processing struggled to cope with demand caused by Covid-19 testing, Big Data London 2021 attendees heard this week

• September 24, 2021 24 Sep'21

  HMRC postpones Making Tax Digital until 2024

  Digital tax changes have been delayed to allow more time for customers taking part in the pilot and for the government to enhance the service

• September 23, 2021 23 Sep'21

  Fresh alert over Conti ransomware surge

  Conti ransomware crew appears increasingly active, prompting fresh warnings from the US authorities

• September 23, 2021 23 Sep'21

  Government digital chief outlines extent of legacy IT challenge

  Central Digital and Data Office director Joanna Davinson says ageing IT is holding back digital transformation

• September 22, 2021 22 Sep'21

  UK government launches first national artificial intelligence strategy

  Ten-year plan is expected to drive corporate adoption of the technology, boost skills and attract international investments

• September 21, 2021 21 Sep'21

  NHS App reaches 16 million users

  Tool has seen a surge in uptake since the addition of the NHS Covid Pass in May

• September 21, 2021 21 Sep'21

  Digital Clinical Safety Strategy adds to NHS patient safety plan

  Objective is to ensure digital technologies in health and care are safe and to use them to improve patient safety

• September 21, 2021 21 Sep'21

  BlackMatter gang ramps up attacks on multiple victims

  A wave of new BlackMatter ransomware attacks is hitting organisations around the world, even as the US authorities mull new sanctions on ransom payment infrastructure

• September 20, 2021 20 Sep'21

  UK government announces digital trade strategy

  Five-point plan is aimed at improving ways to sell and deliver services digitally, making the sector more resilient to disruption

• September 19, 2021 19 Sep'21

  UK tech sector on track for another record year of investment

  The UK creates one unicorn tech business a week, as startup funding during the first half of 2021 rockets to £13.5bn

• September 16, 2021 16 Sep'21

  Bitdefender launches free REvil ransomware decryptor

  Working alongside law enforcement partners, Bitdefender has developed and released a tool to help REvil victims recover their data for free

• September 16, 2021 16 Sep'21

  Network Rail U-turns on blanket inside IR35 contractor determinations

  The Department for Transport’s 2020-2021 accounts suggest Network Rail has switched up its IR35 compliance strategy, with more than 70% of its contractors now classified as working outside IR35

• September 15, 2021 15 Sep'21

  Interview: Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak on supporting the UK tech sector

  Computer Weekly talked to Sunak at a Treasury event in front of an audience of tech sector leaders, investors and startups, to discuss how the government can support the digital economy

• September 14, 2021 14 Sep'21

  UK government takes equity shares in more than 150 startups

  Covid-support loans given to startups through the UK government’s Future Fund have given it stakes in more than 150 high-growth enterprises

• September 09, 2021 09 Sep'21

  UK GDPR faces changes under planned reforms

  DCMS is launching a major consultation on proposed changes to the UK’s data protection regime, under which several key elements of the GDPR are likely to change

• September 09, 2021 09 Sep'21

  Government relies on tech to reduce NHS waiting lists

  Health and social care secretary Sajid Javid aims to reduce NHS waiting list backlog through use of virtual wards, artificial intelligence and new surgical hubs

• September 01, 2021 01 Sep'21

  University of Sunderland applies technology through robot dog

  Students will apply technologies such as artificial intelligence to robotic dog as part of their learning

• August 31, 2021 31 Aug'21

  NHSX sets out digital guidelines for NHS organisations

  The What Good Looks Like framework provides instructions on how NHS leaders should improve the use of digital in their organisations

• August 27, 2021 27 Aug'21

  Are proposed data protection changes a threat to UK citizens’ privacy?

  Though changes are as-yet undefined pending an upcoming consultation, concerns are already being expressed over the government’s plan to liberalise data protection laws in the service of innovation and growth

• August 26, 2021 26 Aug'21

  Tech giants commit to Biden's cyber security action plan

  Some of the world’s most prominent tech giants have made a series of commitments to enhance the US’ national cyber security posture following a high-profile meeting with president Biden

• August 26, 2021 26 Aug'21

  Government unveils post-Brexit data flow proposals

  The government will pursue data partnerships with countries including Australia, South Korea and the US as part of a post-Brexit data regime that may also see substantial changes to the UK’s data protection law

• August 26, 2021 26 Aug'21

  How 3D printing is growing one step at a time

  We speak to a 3D printing firm that has expanded the reach of the technology by providing hardware and design software for customised insoles

• August 26, 2021 26 Aug'21

  NHS Scotland sets out recovery plan

  Plan includes ensuring digital choices are always available, scaling up online consultation app and accelerating technology adoption in the NHS

• August 26, 2021 26 Aug'21

  NZ privacy lead John Edwards named new information commissioner

  DCMS has named John Edwards, currently New Zealand privacy commissioner, to succeed Elizabeth Denham as UK information commissioner

• August 25, 2021 25 Aug'21

  UK loses £1.3bn to fraud and cyber crime so far this year

  New figures from the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau show a threefold spike in reported financial losses to fraud and cyber crime in the first six months of 2021

• August 24, 2021 24 Aug'21

  Half of MS Exchange servers at risk in ProxyShell debacle

  Up to 50% of MS Exchange users in the UK are exposed to three vulnerabilities that are now being actively exploited

• August 24, 2021 24 Aug'21

  Over a million opt out of NHS data-sharing

  Failure to communicate benefits of data-sharing proposals and privacy concerns are prompting large numbers of people to opt out of a proposed NHS Digital scheme

• August 23, 2021 23 Aug'21

  It’s time to reshape NHS innovation approach, says science and technology council

  Council for Science and Technology sets out how the government should harness tech for the NHS through interoperable systems, building skills and capacity and developing an evidence base to underpin effective use of tech

• August 20, 2021 20 Aug'21

  Swedish IT industry braced for China’s response to Huawei 5G ban

  Swedish IT and communications equipment suppliers fear economic backlash from China following Huawei ban

• August 13, 2021 13 Aug'21

  Hospitals see cyber security investment as a low priority

  Almost half of hospitals have experienced an IT shutdown as a result of a cyber attack in the past six months, but just over one in 10 hospital executives see cyber security investment as a high priority

• August 12, 2021 12 Aug'21

  Social care digital revolution could lead to £127m in benefits

  Analysis of NHS Digital’s social care programme shows new ways of working could reduce hospital admissions and visits to GPs, and improve people’s quality of life

• August 12, 2021 12 Aug'21

  Singapore’s NUHS kicks off holomedicine research

  Singapore neurosurgeons are testing the use of Microsoft’s HoloLens 2 mixed reality headset to locate brain tumours with higher precision and improve patient safety

• August 10, 2021 10 Aug'21

  Dutch lead the way in protecting themselves against internet risks

  Dutch citizens come top in a study on awareness of internet risks in Europe, which showed major differences across the continent

• August 09, 2021 09 Aug'21

  Healthcare providers to deliver 765 million teleconsultations globally by 2025

  Research reveals patients will use remote consultation services 3.6 times per year on average, but need for mobile devices and connectivity will limit uptake of telehealth services to developed regions

• August 05, 2021 05 Aug'21

  Nine security flaws found in critical hospital infrastructure

  The ‘PwnedPiper’ vulnerabilities identified in systems used by 80% of US hospitals could be used to launch ransomware attacks

• August 04, 2021 04 Aug'21

  Fred IT replaces paper prescriptions with QR codes

  Fred IT’s eRX Script Exchange is now used by 21,000 doctors and 95% of Australian pharmacies, delivering more than 11 million digital prescriptions by July 2021

• August 03, 2021 03 Aug'21

  Panasas’s 10x saving bumps NetApp from HPC storage deployment

  University of Wollongong got 1.2PB for the cost of 100TB for HPC storage in its cryo-imaging institute. Scale-out NAS maker Panasas also brought life sciences expertise to bear

• August 03, 2021 03 Aug'21

  Government updates isolation criteria in Covid-19 app

  NHS Covid-19 app adjusted to reduce the number of people receiving self-isolation alerts

• July 29, 2021 29 Jul'21

  HMRC hits Home Office with £33.5m bill over ‘careless’ application of IR35 rules

  The Home Office is the latest ministerial department to be hit with a multimillion-pound tax demand from HMRC after errors were discovered in its implementation of the IR35 rules

• July 28, 2021 28 Jul'21

  Almost half unaware of GP data-sharing plans

  Around half of adults in England – approximately 20 million people – remain unaware of the scope of the NHS GPDPR programme, prompting calls for a public education campaign

• July 28, 2021 28 Jul'21

  COP26 cyber resource hub launched for Glasgow businesses

  New digital information hub for Glasgow business to help organisations keep secure both physically and online ahead of major climate change summit

• July 27, 2021 27 Jul'21

  Solent NHS Trust takes self-service route for sexual health

  NHS trust deploys an integrated sexual health self-service system, digitally triaging patients and aiming to drive proactive intervention

• July 26, 2021 26 Jul'21

  Legacy IT issues impacted government decision-making during Covid-19, says PAC

  The government’s ability to make well-informed decisions during the pandemic has been ‘hampered’ by data and legacy IT issues, Public Accounts Committee report finds

• July 22, 2021 22 Jul'21

  IR35: Government sets out plan to rid contractor market of non-compliant umbrellas and loan schemes

  In the wake of a consultation earlier this year, the government has drawn up a package of measures it intends to take to help protect contractors from non-compliant umbrella companies and loan scheme promoters

• July 22, 2021 22 Jul'21

  Interview: Sarah Wilkinson, former CEO, NHS Digital

  In her exit interview with Computer Weekly, NHS Digital’s former CEO Sarah Wilkinson talks about the organisation’s transformation over the past few years, the Covid-19 pandemic, bureaucracy challenges and big wins

• July 20, 2021 20 Jul'21

  NHS Digital tightens rules for GPDPR data scrape

  The proposed collection of patient data held by GPs will now only commence when three key criteria have been fulfilled, says NHS Digital

• July 19, 2021 19 Jul'21

  HMRC CEO claims email querying legal basis for loan charge ‘overplayed’ at committee hearing

  HMRC CEO Jim Harra continues to downplay significance of email questioning legal basis of the loan charge during a grilling by the Economic Affairs Committee

• July 19, 2021 19 Jul'21

  Chelsea and Westminster NHS launches acute Covid app

  The app aims to work as a one-stop Covid-19 information and resource shop for doctors and nurses working with coronavirus patients

• July 14, 2021 14 Jul'21

  More than half of European IT outsourcing spending will soon be on cloud services

  Cloud services will soon be the largest part of the IT services market in Europe, as enterprises invest in them as part of their Covid-19 recovery strategies

• July 14, 2021 14 Jul'21

  Multiple Microsoft bugs being actively exploited

  Microsoft’s July Patch Tuesday update fixes 117 vulnerabilities, 13 rated as critical and four already being actively exploited

• July 14, 2021 14 Jul'21

  London announces winners of Covid-19 recovery innovation challenge

  The Mayor’s Resilience Fund called for ideas to support businesses and communities emerge from the pandemic, and there are some standout winners

• July 13, 2021 13 Jul'21

  Russia tightens pressure on global IT companies

  Russian authorities will force certain IT companies with customers in Russia to open local offices

• July 12, 2021 12 Jul'21

  Loan charge MPs call for prime ministerial intervention to prevent mass contractor bankruptcies

  In an open letter signed by 76 MPs, the prime minister and the chancellor are facing calls to intervene urgently on how the loan charge policy is being enforced

• July 12, 2021 12 Jul'21

  NHS to get new online jobs platform

  NHS Business Services Authority is working to transform the NHS Jobs platform, currently in beta stage, with plans to launch it early next year

• July 08, 2021 08 Jul'21

  CIO interview: Ian Cohen, CPIO, Acacium Group

  Acacium’s chief product and information officer joined the healthcare specialist in the midst of the pandemic, and is responsible for data, product, business process and automation

• July 07, 2021 07 Jul'21

  Opportunists seen targeting Kaseya REvil victims

  Malwarebytes researchers highlight new spam campaign targeting businesses impacted by the ongoing Kaseya REvil ransomware incident

• July 06, 2021 06 Jul'21

  The Cambridge-1 switch-on: UK’s most powerful supercomputer goes live

  The UK's most powerful supercomputer has gone live, with Nvidia talking up its potential to transform artificial intelligence-based healthcare research around the world

• July 06, 2021 06 Jul'21

  Cyber insurance costs up by a third

  The frequency and severity of ransomware attacks is a leading factor behind a substantial increase in the cost of obtaining cyber security insurance

• July 06, 2021 06 Jul'21

  Gulf hospitals flock to digital health to manage lifestyle diseases

  The Middle East is accelerating its take-up of digital healthcare technologies following lessons learned in the Covid-19 pandemic

• July 05, 2021 05 Jul'21

  Government genomically sequences 600,000 Covid-19 samples

  More than 600,000 positive Covid-19 tests have been genomically sequenced by the government to identify genes that make people more susceptible to severe symptoms, and to monitor different variants of the virus

• July 02, 2021 02 Jul'21

  Should I be worried about PrintNightmare?

  The accidental publication of proof of concept code for a Windows vulnerability, and the reclassification of said bug from low to critical severity, has the cyber community concerned. Is it right to be?

• July 01, 2021 01 Jul'21

  US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency launches ransomware assessment tool

  Newly launched service will help US organisations understand how prepared they are to deal with a ransomware attack

• July 01, 2021 01 Jul'21

  NHS IT fraudster Barry Stannard sentenced to five years in prison

  Stannard used his position as head of unified communications at an Essex NHS Trust to cheat the taxpayer of more than £800,000

• June 30, 2021 30 Jun'21

  Post-pandemic recovery drives NHS digitisation

  NHS staff see a role for remote healthcare to enable the health service to keep up with increased demands, according to iGov survey

• June 29, 2021 29 Jun'21

  UK Cyber Security Council launches inaugural initiatives

  Security association seeks to determine terms of reference for committees to oversee standards and ethics, and qualifications and careers in the cyber sector

• June 28, 2021 28 Jun'21

  Insurers unprepared for challenges of underwriting ransomware

  RUSI think tank calls for an industry-wide reset amid intense challenges for providers of cyber security insurance

• June 28, 2021 28 Jun'21

  IR35 reforms: HMRC questioned about CEST as tax status of 210,000 contractors left 'undetermined'

  Data published by HMRC confirms that the tax authority’s IR35 status checker tool has failed to determined how contractors should be taxed in hundreds of thousands of cases since November 2019

• June 25, 2021 25 Jun'21

  NCSC CEO: UK-Ireland collaboration crucial to stop cyber threats

  Speaking at a conference in Dublin, NCSC Lindy Cameron is highlighting the importance of continued collaboration between the UK and Ireland to protect shared interests and counter security threats

• June 24, 2021 24 Jun'21

  Make ransomware payments illegal, say 79% of cyber pros

  Report produced for MSSP Talion claims overwhelming support for the criminalisation of ransomware payments

• June 22, 2021 22 Jun'21

  NHSX policy document focuses on patients and data sharing

  Patient privacy and data and code reuse are three of the pillars outlined in the NHSX’s new data strategy for sharing patient data

• June 21, 2021 21 Jun'21

  NHSX set to unveil post-Covid data strategy

  The smart use of patient data could power new AI-based healthcare systems and speed up the discovery of new treatments

• June 18, 2021 18 Jun'21

  NHS App reaches six million users, thanks to Covid vaccine feature

  More than two million new users have downloaded the NHS App since it was updated in May to include Covid-19 vaccination status

• June 17, 2021 17 Jun'21

  Technology takes centre stage in UK government reform

  The government’s tech recovery programme includes a pledge to shift towards data interoperability and phasing out legacy systems

• June 17, 2021 17 Jun'21

  GDS to improve Gov.uk with user monitoring

  Gov.uk’s measurement approach is expected to enhance the experience of 335 million users of the government’s online platform

• June 16, 2021 16 Jun'21

  Matt Hancock at CogX: ‘Huge opportunities’ ahead to exploit health data

  Health secretary tells CogX 2021 conference in London that huge opportunities lie ahead in the application of analytics to pseudonymised patient data