Midlands Partnership NHS FT seeks digital strategy input

Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (MPFT) is seeking engagement from staff, carers, partners and users of the trust’s services as well as NHS IT and tech colleagues to help shape its new digital strategy.

The strategy sets out the trust’s vision for the next five years and aims to keep the trust at the forefront of the digital healthcare revolution.

Currently, the trust has had more than 100 hours of input from people willing to contribute to shaping the strategy. This has already helped steer the direction of the digital strategy, by taking into account the feedback received during that initial consultation. Further opinions are now being sought on a number of key themes including:

• Wellbeing and prevention: Improving prevention; treatment and promoting sustained behaviour changes in everyday living; wellbeing through wearable technology.
• Remote care and monitoring: Telemedicine; digital therapeutics and digitally enabled interventions; apps.
• Digital inclusion and equalities: Provision of equipment to users of the Trust’s services and accessible systems.
• Innovation: Virtual reality; big data research; artificial intelligence; triage and smart devices.

Chris Ibell, the trust’s chief digital information officer, said: “The 100+ hours of conversations we held revealed some really interesting insights, from the different interpretations of what ‘digital’ means to people, to the clear appetite for innovation, which was very encouraging.

“We have approached the strategy with both an open mind and a collective ambition to ensure the work we do over this next five years lays the ground work for the introduction of new technologies that will enable the transformation of health and care for many years to come.”

The ambitious move by MPFT to commit to a long-term digital strategy echoes that of Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, who in 2019 awarded System C a 10-year contract to supply an integrated clinical record and administration system.

The trust is welcoming a wide range of views on its strategy before the 19 August via the online feedback form.