Wales launches £9.5m health tech fund

The Welsh health minister has announced a £9.5m Health Technology and Telehealth Fund to support the introduction of new technologies in non-hospital settings.

Health boards and trusts in Wales have until 28 February 2014 to submit applications for funding for the next financial year.

Health minister Mark Drakeford said that the money will help provide access to technology to assist the transformation of health and care services in Wales.

“Investment in innovation is essential if we are to achieve our aim of safe, sustainable and high quality health services for Wales,” he said.

“Technology has a major role to play in the future of the NHS and new technology can improve service quality, improve outcomes and reduce the need for care in hospital.

“With new technologies supporting advances in healthcare, the people of Wales can receive the best possible treatment available.”

The fund is part of the service transformation plan set out in ‘Together for Health’, the Welsh government’s five year plan for the NHS to deliver “high quality and sustainable services and improved patient benefits.”

In December 2012, the government agreed a 3-year Health Technologies Fund worth a total of £25 million; £5m in the 2012-13 financial year, and £10m in each of the following two financial years

The Digital Wales strategy, launched in 2010, aims to make Wales a “truly digital nation” by 2020.