Written evidence submitted by The European Knowledge Tree (DTN0041)

The first meeting of European Knowledge Tree Group (EKTG) took place in Denmark in September 2010, followed up by a Symposium at the London School of Economics (LSE) later that year.

The European Knowledge Tree Group mission is for the advancement of health and saving of lives through the advancement of the use of eTechnology worldwide. EKTG does this by making educational and training opportunities available for the development of individual capabilities, competences, skills and understanding of the use of information technology in the field of eTechnology.

These opportunities will be made available to professional practitioners in health, social care and wider sectors. EKTG defines eTechnology literacy as “the ability to seek, find, understand and appraise from digital sources and apply the knowledge gained’.

Although technologies have been extensively trailed and evaluated creating a substantial and growing evidence base, these services are yet to be established nationally.

eTechnology has not reached educational courses or academic curricula to any great extent, especially in the UK. Many people in the associated workforce function without any formal qualifications or cover for legal and ethical matters.

The EKTG also seeks to cooperate with like-minded

organisations in order to source funding to achieve its aims.

On 19 February 2020 we became Registered Charity, number 1188061

1. How can the Government communicate the benefits of digital approaches in healthcare to the public and provide assurances as to the security of their data?

We emphasise:

1. Our recent small Smart Scheme Project, CWLG, funded by INNOVATE UK looked at use of Digital Services for Health and Well Being in three London Authorities. This showed the low percentage of uptake of such services with poor encouragement to adopt usage by professionals or other organistions.

2. The Digital Records must be in the personal ownership of each individual person There is excellent evidence from Estonia, which we have, to support this.

3. Personal agreement of the individual is required for any usage with others.

4. A speedier response rate will result.

5. No information contained will be sold to other Companies without the individual persons prior agreement.

6. No information is stored without the full and control of the individual person.

7. Provide effective education about Use of Digital Services to Government, Professionals, Industry and Users to ensure better Understanding and Knowledge of the opportunities.

8. There is an additional major complexity because the NHS is not a National System. There are differences between the four Nations. Some people move between the four Nations. The UK needs a centralised system. If Education was truly unified across our Four Nations this would be safer for users and providers. Currently many millions of pounds are spent on claims from inefficacies and personal damage.

2. What progress has been made in dealing with the proliferation of legacy IT systems across the NHS?

1. The Westminster Government signed the Tallin Declaration in 2017 agreeing to extend Digital Services and Usage, but no funding has been provided for this.

2. A small percentage of GP Practices have adopted a system to ensure that the individuals using their Practice understand believe they have control of their own records or safe access to these.

3. A small number of Specific Trials have been conducted in the UK, such as Three Million Lives, in the Liverpool Council Project and the Newcastle Project, which have demonstrated effectiveness, cost savings and enthusiasm by users. But these have not been followed up.

4. A majority of the UK population believe that the many systems are confusing, lack security, and take too long to use.

5. There is no pressure on Professionals to be trained. The last President of the RCGP’s wrote to an EKTG Board Member saying ‘GP’s were far too busy’ to attend courses.

6. EKTG invited representatives of many Royal Colleges to discuss this topic. They formed an Academy to run this which now seems to have vanished.

3. How do IT platforms used in NHS hospitals in England compare with those used in hospitals in the United States?

1. Not well. Many Private Healthcare Providers in the USA give their users direct access, education and support to all their own Records. Companies know this saves money and Users find such access helpful, speedy and reassuring.

2. Many Public Health Services in the USA now use similar systems. The largest Public Sector Hospital in New York offers such a system. One of our International Ambassadors is based there.

3. Some other Nations – New Zealand, Sweden - have examples of such good practice. We have worked with these people to gain further evidence. There are excellent examples of cost effectiveness, practicality and popularity by users and professionals.

4. How can the Government effectively foster co-operation between the NHS and the private sector to both develop and implement innovation in healthcare?

1. First provide effective education about Use of Digital Services to Government, Professionals, Industry and Carers to better Understanding and Knowledge of opportunities to Government, Professionals, Industry and Carers. Later it is important to involve the Private Sector especially as nowadays some Private Health Care Services are sold to the NHS mainly due to lack of facilities in the NHS.

2. The same assurances and guarantees about the personal control of all records must be guaranteed.

5. What other functions could and should be performed on the NHS App?

1.Nothing without the earlier actions being assured.

Government, Professionals, Industry and Users are not presently trained for such actions and frequently break the Law in the process.

2. Following attendance at appropriate Courses further plans for the App and other features can follow.

3. Using evidence from other Nations about Courses and basic applications can be followed in the UK.

4. A small number of Specific Trials have been conducted in the UK, such as Three Million Lives, that in Liverpool Council Project, which have demonstrated effectiveness, cost savings and enthusiasm by users. Sadly, these have not been followed up.

6. What progress has been made in digitising health and care records for interoperability, such that they can be accessed by professionals across primary, secondary, and social care?

1. Our own Smart Scheme, CWLG, funded by INNOVATE UK, in three Authorities in London. Our recent report demonstrates poor uptake.

2. A small number of Specific Trials have been conducted in the UK, such as Three Million Lives, the Liverpool Council Project, which have all demonstrated effectiveness, cost savings and enthusiasm by users. Sadly, these have not been followed up.

7. What progress has been made on making data captured for care available for clinical research through digital transformation?

1.This has been shown by the Clinical Trials already named in our Evidence and also evidence from the other Nations - we refer to UK, Sweden, USA

8. Specifically, have lessons been learned from the success of the streamlined and accelerated nature of the RECOVERY trial, as pioneered during the pandemic by Professor Sir Martin Landray?

1.The excellent work undertaken by Professor Sir Martin Landray has demonstrated when a truly collaborative process is applied, cost effectiveness then follows. Millions of pounds can be saved as can lives and the Health and Care of the people.

9. What should be the timescale for incorporating genomic data into patients’ medical records?

1.This whole development depends on the simple achievements of Courses as previously described. EKTG would be delighted to provide further evidence about this.

2. Immediate provision and involvement of Government, Professionals, Industry and Users in appropriate short courses. These are similar to ones planed by EKTG from October 2022. Our International Ambassadors are involved with these courses. Our International Ambassadors are based across Europe and the USA. These include our Ambassador from Switzerland who has a long-established job running courses for all types of Staff in Zurich University.

3. Later more detailed Courses can be developed and offered. Again, EKTG has International Ambassadors who will work with these.

10. What are the principal considerations that should be taken into account in this context and what additional training of the workforce will be needed to achieve this?

1.Government, Professionals, Industry and Users must understand that currently many people in the UK break the Law in this area every day. This is not only counter-productive, it also costs lives and it costs millions of pounds of tax payers money. All of this would be far better spent organising Courses, as advocated by EKTG in our October Courses.

11. How can the creation or exacerbation of digital inequalities be avoided when implementing digital transformation?

1.By following the excellent example of the Estonian Society where 93% of the Population have a simple ID Card to control their own Records for all communications. These include Tax, Education, Driving, Health records. They are fully aware of the need of Security as many of the population lived under the occupation of the USSR for twenty or more years.

2. If such nations can demonstrate cost effectiveness by this usage, why do we not follow?

3. The Westminster Government has made many claims about the wonderful services in Health and Social Care.

In Scotland there have been some efforts to link the two sectors. Again, with better knowledge and understanding

of Digital Services everybody would be more enthusiastic to both provide and use a more extensive system.

4. Funding must be provided for Courses and organisations such as INNOVATE UK and KTN must be pressed to both check better following of the Law and facilities for do this.

5. Registration Bodies must also ensure that members of the Bodies they oversee are more reliably certified and qualified for their work.

June 2022