News

Healthcare and NHS IT

• 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

• June 15, 2021 15 Jun'21

  NHS Test and Trace picks Risk Ledger to secure supply chain

  Risk Ledger’s technology promises ‘unparalleled’ visibility into NHS Test and Trace’s supply chain

• June 15, 2021 15 Jun'21

  How healthcare organisations are tapping data analytics

  Healthcare providers are harnessing data analytics to improve clinical and operational outcomes even as they continue to face challenges in data aggregation and data protection

• June 11, 2021 11 Jun'21

  UK promises tougher line on cyber crime

  Speaking ahead of the G7 Summit, foreign secretary Dominic Raab says the UK is ready to take on cyber criminals and other malicious actors wherever they may be

• June 10, 2021 10 Jun'21

  Risk data shows UK energy sector most vulnerable to cyber attack

  New report compiled by insurance firm Hiscox reveals the state of cyber preparedness in the UK and beyond

• June 08, 2021 08 Jun'21

  NHS Digital delays data collection plans until September

  NHS Digital has postponed its proposed collection of GP data for two months, to allow more time for the public to understand the process and opt out if wanted

• June 08, 2021 08 Jun'21

  National data guardian calls for dialogue on NHS Digital GP plans

  The UK’s national data guardian says it is important the public has clarity on how their confidential medical information will be used and kept secure under NHS data-sharing plans

• June 07, 2021 07 Jun'21

  Campaigners plan legal action over NHS data sharing

  Privacy coalition aims to force NHS Digital to push back its plans to scrape medical information on millions of patients into a central database

• June 04, 2021 04 Jun'21

  BCS: Lack of communication over NHS GPDPR ‘astonishing’

  The Chartered Institute for IT has warned that millions of people are not being properly informed of NHS Digital plans to harvest their data

• June 03, 2021 03 Jun'21

  Swedish university is behind quantum computing breakthrough

  Chalmers University of Technology simplifies the process of measuring the temperatures of quantum computers during complex calculations

• June 01, 2021 01 Jun'21

  Ex-IT manager stole over £800,000 from NHS trust

  A former senior IT manager at an Essex NHS trust has pleaded guilty to defrauding his employer out of more than £800,000

• June 01, 2021 01 Jun'21

  NHS trust’s Pioneer data platform joins up care delivery and improves outcomes

  University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust aims to improve patient care by bringing together anonymised health data from different care settings to better understand the patient journey

• May 28, 2021 28 May'21

  Privacy experts concerned over NHS data collection plans

  Security and data privacy experts warn NHS Digital that its data collection plans could increase risk and cause a public backlash

• May 27, 2021 27 May'21

  How supply chain digitisation is paving the way to gene therapy

  Big pharma has been on the frontline to vaccinate the world against Covid-19. Digitising supply chains sets them up to personalise patient care

• May 26, 2021 26 May'21

  Department for Education’s e-learning unpreparedness widens inequality among students

  Department is ‘surprisingly resistant’ to a lessons-learned exercise based on findings during Covid, says Public Accounts Committee report

• May 26, 2021 26 May'21

  Google offers free tech skills training to UK jobseekers

  Online training in areas such as IT support and UX design will be available through the Department for Work and Pensions

• May 25, 2021 25 May'21

  IR35: MPs denied vote to amend Finance Bill to ‘curb or kill’ umbrella companies

  MPs were denied the opportunity to vote in favour of amending the incoming Finance Bill to ‘curb or kill’ umbrella companies, prompting industry watchers to double down on calls for regulation

• May 25, 2021 25 May'21

  UK startups lack gender diversity in senior technical roles

  Women account for about 2-3% of engineering and technology directors in startups and scaleups, says report

• May 24, 2021 24 May'21

  IR35: MPs urged to back ‘curb or kill’ umbrella company-focused Finance Bill amendments

  Two amendments to the incoming Finance Bill that have the potential to ban the use of umbrella companies are being voted on by MPs in the House of Commons today

• May 23, 2021 23 May'21

  Innovation and skills at the heart of CBI report

  The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) wants an inclusive and innovative economy, with increased research and development (R&D) investment and better digital intensity and adoption, particularly among SMEs

• May 21, 2021 21 May'21

  NHS Education for Scotland defends 'decade-long' public cloud deal with AWS

  The training arm of NHS Scotland has come under fire from members of the public sector IT supplier community over its decision to award a 10-year cloud contract to AWS

• May 20, 2021 20 May'21

  Government sets out implementation plan for genomics strategy

  The 2021-22 implementation plan for government’s 10-year Genome UK strategy includes improving diversity of genomics data, rolling out whole genome sequencing to rare diseases patients, and delivering a proof of concept for a next-generation ...

• May 19, 2021 19 May'21

  Reports of stolen Irish health service data being leaked online

  Leaking of deeply confidential and personal information on patient healthcare marks a new low for the criminal Conti gang

• May 18, 2021 18 May'21

  Legacy data and IT issues ‘laid bare’ during Covid-19, says NAO

  The pandemic has exposed challenges with legacy data and IT systems in government, and has made the government response more challenging, says the National Audit Office

• May 18, 2021 18 May'21

  NHS to issue 30,000 iPads to ambulance crews

  Mobile devices will allow crews to send photographs to hospital specialists and access health records while at the scene of incidents, aiming to speed up and improve care

• May 18, 2021 18 May'21

  Australian budget lends support to digital economy

  Australia’s A$1.2bn Digital Economy Strategy ticks most of the right boxes, but some industry experts say areas such as broadband infrastructure and artificial intelligence are still underfunded

• May 17, 2021 17 May'21

  Half of UK workforce lacks essential digital skills for work

  A ‘hidden middle’ of more than 17 million people do not have the abilities needed to participate and contribute to the digital world in life and at work, study says

• May 17, 2021 17 May'21

  Conti ransomware syndicate behind attack on Irish health service

  More details continue to emerge of the significant ransomware attack on Ireland’s HSE

• May 14, 2021 14 May'21

  Irish health service hit by major ransomware attack

  IT systems in hospitals across Ireland have been switched off following a significant ransomware attack

• May 13, 2021 13 May'21

  NHSX data strategy due in ‘a few weeks’

  NHSX director of policy and strategy Simon Madden says the long-awaited strategy is expected to “trigger huge debates” on issues such as access, choice and transparency, and will be published in draft form shortly to allow for consultation

• May 13, 2021 13 May'21

  Biden beefs up public-private security cooperation

  Joe Biden has signed a new Executive Order to harden US cyber security and government networks, with an emphasis on information sharing

• May 13, 2021 13 May'21

  Refuge launches tech safety site for domestic abuse victims

  Created with the help of survivors, Refuge’s resource site offers guidance on protecting yourself from tech-enabled domestic abuse

• May 12, 2021 12 May'21

  NHS Digital replaces system for collection of GP data

  New system designed ‘with interests of patients at its heart’ will provide near-real-time primary care data to support improvements in healthcare and help research

• May 12, 2021 12 May'21

  The Security Interviews: Why helpful bots could hurt vaccine roll-outs

  Earlier this year, spikes in traffic to websites containing information about Covid-19 vaccines were attributed by Imperva to automated bots scraping data. Why is that a problem?

• May 12, 2021 12 May'21

  Queen’s Speech approaches key themes for UK tech

  From online safety to skills for the future, the speech contained several points that are relevant to the industry for the year

• May 11, 2021 11 May'21

  AWS, Microsoft and Google secure spots on £750m UK government Cloud Compute framework

  Tech giants Amazon, Microsoft, Google, IBM and Oracle are among the suppliers to secure a place on the four-year CCS Cloud Compute framework

• May 11, 2021 11 May'21

  Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack has grave consequences

  The ramifications of a major ransomware attack against a US fuel pipeline operator could spread far and wide

• May 10, 2021 10 May'21

  Telemedicine to save healthcare industry tens of billions globally by 2025

  Research predicts good times ahead for key network-based industry, especially as teleconsultations improve patient care, but warns that deregulation of telemedicine is needed to maximise growth

• May 10, 2021 10 May'21

  NCSC Active Cyber Defence blocks surge of pandemic scams

  The NCSC responded to a surge in online scams last year as it moved to protect both the general public and critical national services during the pandemic

• May 07, 2021 07 May'21

  NCSC publishes smart city security guidelines

  Guidance for local authorities, IT and cyber professionals aims to ensure the security of connected, smart city projects

• May 06, 2021 06 May'21

  Netherlands to build new national supercomputer

  The Netherlands has laid out plans for its next national supercomputer, to be known as Snellius

• May 06, 2021 06 May'21

  Wipro’s AI platform to improve vaccine safety

  Wipro is partnering a stem cell technology firm on the use of its Holmes artificial intelligence platform to help researchers ascertain the safety and potency of vaccines

• May 05, 2021 05 May'21

  Interview: ONS data science chief Tom Smith on government data capability

  The managing director of the Office of National Statistics’ Data Science Campus, Tom Smith, describes the organisation’s data capability building activities for and across government

• May 04, 2021 04 May'21

  Shadow ministers call for public consultation on health data review

  Two Labour shadow ministers want a public consultation following the findings of Ben Goldacre’s review on the use of health data for research and analysis

• May 04, 2021 04 May'21

  Tech firms unite to advance diversity and inclusion in the sector

  The plan will focus on areas such as leadership representation and inclusive product development

• April 30, 2021 30 Apr'21

  Simon Bolton named as NHS Digital interim CEO

  Following the announcement of Sarah Wilkinson’s departure as CEO of NHS Digital, the organisation has appointed NHS Test and Trace CIO Simon Bolton as interim CEO

• April 29, 2021 29 Apr'21

  Public sector organisations ‘in the dark’ about where their data is, suggests UKCloud survey

  Response to a poll of public sector IT and business leaders suggests few have any idea if their data is stored in the cloud or on-premise, claims UKCloud

• April 29, 2021 29 Apr'21

  GCHQ: Dyslexic thinkers key to solving UK cyber security challenges

  Neurodiverse staff are bringing a unique contribution to keeping the country safe, according to the intelligence and cyber agency

• April 29, 2021 29 Apr'21

  UK demand for digital automation skills soars

  The need for automation proficiency has more than doubled in the past two years, according to research

• April 28, 2021 28 Apr'21

  NHS App to serve as vaccine passport for foreign holidays

  Existing NHS App will have vaccine passport functionality added to it, transport secretary confirms

• April 26, 2021 26 Apr'21

  Digital tech potential in health and social care not yet realised, says King’s Fund

  Report by health policy think-tank says that although there is evidence that digital technology can support staff and patients, there are large gaps in the evidence base

• April 23, 2021 23 Apr'21

  HMRC downplays significance of CEO email ‘questioning’ legal basis of loan charge policy

  A document dump of emails shared between HMRC officials has prompted loan charge campaigners to further question the legal footing of the government’s controversial disguised remuneration policy

• April 22, 2021 22 Apr'21

  GCHQ: Cyber investment a guarantor of UK’s global status

  GCHQ director Jeremy Fleming sets out a vision for the UK’s cyber security future

• April 21, 2021 21 Apr'21

  Government should do more to protect well-being in the digital world, says report

  A select committee report argues that new health and employment rights are needed to tackle the negative effects of increasing digitisation

• April 21, 2021 21 Apr'21

  UK government renews cloud discount pricing MoU with Microsoft

  Three-year deal ensures eligible public sector organisations can continue to access discounted pricing on a range of the tech giant's cloud software and infrastructure offerings

• April 21, 2021 21 Apr'21

  Ocado advances autonomous vehicle strategy with Oxbotica deal

  The £10m investment is part of a push to enhance Ocado’s last-mile delivery and logistics capabilities, with first prototypes expected for 2023

• April 20, 2021 20 Apr'21

  Health app myGP adds Covid-19 vaccine passport function

  The new feature is described as the UK’s first NHS-assured Covid-19 certification feature

• April 20, 2021 20 Apr'21

  Government launches plan for smart use of knowledge and innovation

  Strategy sets out how Westminster can harness and achieve better value from £104bn worth of innovation and knowledge assets within central government

• April 19, 2021 19 Apr'21

  UK technology job creation nears two-year peak

  Pace of recruitment accelerates and optimism reaches highest level since 2014, according to KPMG

• April 19, 2021 19 Apr'21

  Tech professionals most likely to see mental health decline due to pandemic

  Struggling to cope with anxiety and new ways of working are among the problems workers in the sector face, study says

• April 16, 2021 16 Apr'21

  Finnish government strengthens country’s IT network security

  Finland’s government has created a new national organisation to help public and private bodies improve network security

• April 15, 2021 15 Apr'21

  Google launches multimillion-dollar cloud tech push to boost Covid-19 vaccine distribution

  Tech giant Google is ploughing millions of dollars into initiatives to bolster the availability of Covid-19 vaccines and make it easier for people to access information about immunisation programmes

• April 14, 2021 14 Apr'21

  Tesco reports online sales surge, advances digital platform

  Retailer announces 77% boost to e-commerce sales, details on Clubcard app uptake and advances in its IT remediation plan

• April 14, 2021 14 Apr'21

  Why Microsoft’s $19bn acquisition of Nuance makes sense

  Microsoft regularly demos real-time speech-to-text transcription and has just spent $19bn on bolstering its voice capabilities

• April 14, 2021 14 Apr'21

  Europe provides growth for TCS despite year floored by pandemic

  Tata Consultancy Services grows its continental European business despite economic slowdown brought by Covid-19 restrictions

• April 13, 2021 13 Apr'21

  Microsoft enters the Dragon’s den with Nuance acquisition

  The $19bn acquisition of Nuance firmly plants Microsoft at the forefront of voice recognition. The stage is set to combine voice with artificial intelligence

• April 09, 2021 09 Apr'21

  University students adapt to remote learning but question value for money

  New research outlines students’ fears around the impact of long-term remote education and lecturers’ skills to operate online

• April 09, 2021 09 Apr'21

  Loan Charge Group MPs demand IR35 shake-up to stop contractors becoming ‘zero-rights employees’

  Inquiry by Loan Charge All-Party Parliamentary Group calls on government to tweak IR35 legislation during passage of next Finance Bill

• April 09, 2021 09 Apr'21

  Tech industry sees surge in remote working job postings

  Pandemic drives an increase in demand for “work anywhere” jobs and hybrid skills, research says

• April 06, 2021 06 Apr'21

  GDS seeks director for identity assurance programme

  The new leader will be focused on efforts to deliver a single digital identity system for online public services

• March 31, 2021 31 Mar'21

  NHS is apparently closing security skills gap

  By the end of 2020, there were more than twice as many in-house security professionals at NHS trusts as there were two years before

• March 30, 2021 30 Mar'21

  Privacy campaigners hail legal victory over Hancock and Palantir

  Civil liberties organisation OpenDemocracy says it has scored a legal victory over health secretary Matt Hancock regarding the involvement of Palantir in the NHS Covid-19 data store

• March 30, 2021 30 Mar'21

  IR35 reforms: Slow government progress on umbrella regulation exposes IT contractors to tax risks

  With thousands of IT contractors set to start working through unregulated umbrella companies for the first time when the IR35 reforms take hold in the private sector, concerns are growing about the danger this could pose to their income and tax ...

• March 26, 2021 26 Mar'21

  Sarah Wilkinson resigns as NHS Digital CEO

  After four years at the helm of NHS Digital, CEO Sarah Wilkinson will leave in the summer of 2021, and the organisation is looking for an interim replacement

• March 26, 2021 26 Mar'21

  NHS Shared Business Services launches £1bn digital hardware framework

  Framework consists of 19 suppliers, and offers user IT hardware products and services to the NHS and public sector organisations

• March 25, 2021 25 Mar'21

  NHS Wales shapes up ambitious plans for digital patient-facing app

  Computer Weekly looks at NHS Wales’ project to create a patient-facing app and a collaborative ecosystem for technology suppliers and NHS providers to deliver joined-up care

• March 25, 2021 25 Mar'21

  Liverpool announces test and development area for drone technology

  Project aims to stimulate investment opportunities, employment and skills for the region

• March 25, 2021 25 Mar'21

  NHS to digitise the ‘red book’ by 2023

  Every child born from April 2023 will have a digital ‘red book’, or personal child health record, Matt Hancock has promised

• March 24, 2021 24 Mar'21

  Cyber criminals forging Covid-19 vaccine certificates

  Vaccine passports and certificates are gaining mainstream traction, which means cyber criminals are also on the bandwagon

• March 23, 2021 23 Mar'21

  NUHS taps RPA in Covid-19 swab tests

  Singapore’s National University Health System deploys RPA bots to automate patient registration during Covid-19 swab tests as part of broader efforts to improve efficiency

• March 23, 2021 23 Mar'21

  Commission calls for adult social care to get digital revamp

  A commission on adult social care has called for the government to fund a personalised social care innovation programme, as well as invest £450m to replace outdated care and housing technology infrastructure

• March 18, 2021 18 Mar'21

  Coronavirus: How PCs in quarantine and intensive care units can be managed remotely

  NHS IT staff generally have limited access to deployed devices, especially if that device is in an operating theatre or intensive care unit

• March 18, 2021 18 Mar'21

  Vaccine passports cannot put basic rights at risk, warns BCS

  BCS warns of challenges to come as the government presses on with its plans for Covid-19 vaccine passports

• March 18, 2021 18 Mar'21

  NHS will get shared care records by September 2021, says Matt Hancock

  The health secretary sets September 2021 target for shared care records roll-out, and wants to explore potential of moving patient data being held in proprietary systems to the cloud

• March 18, 2021 18 Mar'21

  Eastern Health reports ‘cyber incident’, takes systems offline

  Australian healthcare provider Eastern Health takes IT systems offline as a precaution while it looks into a cyber incident

• March 17, 2021 17 Mar'21

  Digital Green Certificate proposed for travel in Europe

  Digital Green Certificates will supposedly help re-establish freedom of movement within the European Union

• March 17, 2021 17 Mar'21

  Nordic healthcare digitisation drives medtech growth

  Nordic medtech is growing rapidly as the healthcare sector adopts technologies such as artificial intelligence and the internet of things

• March 16, 2021 16 Mar'21

  Government calls for input into Covid-19 vaccine passports

  Evidence gathering exercise will inform the development of the UK’s proposed Covid-19 vaccine passport scheme

• March 15, 2021 15 Mar'21

  Parliamentary PACA Committee slams Gove over Covid-19 data failures

  Parliamentary Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee publishes report critical of government accountability regarding data behind the decisions taken during the coronavirus pandemic

• March 12, 2021 12 Mar'21

  CW Innovation Awards: Fighting fake Covid-19 vaccines with blockchain

  A blockchain-based system developed by Singapore-based Zuellig Pharma can help governments and healthcare providers weed out fake vaccines and manage vaccine distribution and administration

• March 10, 2021 10 Mar'21

  UK launches fellowship to attract tech talent to government

  Programme jointly run by Number 10 and Government Digital Service will see 10 leaders enlisted to address key challenges in the public sector

• March 09, 2021 09 Mar'21

  How biotech firm Luminex manages field service

  Technicians at Luminex work remotely, but their schedules, spare parts for repairs and customer site visits need to link to tech support and the CRM

• March 08, 2021 08 Mar'21

  Cumbria and Nottinghamshire care homes pilot diagnostic telemedicine

  Two care homes trial telemedicine system that allows GPs to carry out detailed patient assessments without leaving the surgery

• March 08, 2021 08 Mar'21

  Nordic innovators change emphasis on gender equality in society

  Female technology innovators in the Nordics take a different approach to trying to improve opportunities for women

• March 05, 2021 05 Mar'21

  Innovation underpinned by trustworthy governance, says CDEI

  Public support for greater use of digital technologies such as AI depends on how much trust people have in its governance, says report