Volume 1

The use of new medical technologies within the NHS : fifth report of session 2004-05 / House of Commons, Health Committee.

  • Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Health Committee
Date:
2005
Catalogue details

Licence: Open Government Licence

Credit: The use of new medical technologies within the NHS : fifth report of session 2004-05 / House of Commons, Health Committee. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    based model of the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) programme while, there is also a need for developing more sophisticated measures of the utility of systems for patients that reflect more relevant criteria. Much greater patient participation in assessing the utility of telehealthcare is required. 24. A balance also has to be established between national standardisation, that could possibly remove competition between innovators, and a situation where different and incompatible types of the same equipment are installed in individual hospitals, or even wards, due to non-standardisation. Professor Sir Christopher O’Donnell, Co-Chairman of the Healthcare Industries Task Force, told us that they were “looking for a clear case for the benefits [of standardisation] and obviously the costs of any particular device, but ... it is best practice to have one or at most two [types] per facility - hospital or whatever — and then make decisions after whatever time to replace the whole lot...[otherwise] you end up with a creeping mix of equipment.””! 25. The Department should ensure that Primary Care Trusts (PCT) and hospital trusts (and if possible SHAs) should commission new technologies according to nationally approved standards (determined by the new Device Evaluation Service [DES] in conjunction with HTA/National Institute of Clinical Excellence [NICE]). Such standards should provide the basis for the selection of base-line devices and technologies. It is important that the tendency towards technology ‘creep’ and uneven mix of systems that lack interoperability or require different competences to be used should be avoided. Standardisation on clinical based systems should be undertaken in light of discussion with Social Services, who have a greater responsibility for telecare. 26. While the application of telecare and ICT can have many advantages for patients and carers, the privacy of the individual must also be considered. The Department highlighted the fact that confidentiality and privacy are recurrent issues in the introduction of new technology. In its submission the Department noted that technology can facilitate home telecare and home telemonitoring and alert care teams to a health problem, but this has to be balanced against patients’ rights to privacy.** We were impressed by the approach at QVH which has implemented a successful protocol to ensure privacy and confidentially in relation to the photographing and video recording of patients. 27. We recommend that, when new medical technologies are introduced, protection of confidentiality and the privacy of the individual are key factors in the decision-making process. Privacy and confidentiality policies and protocols should be developed, implemented and audited when new technologies are introduced. 4 Why benefits are not being realised 28. The Department has recognised that it could do more to facilitate the introduction of new medical technologies into the NHS. Dr Felicity Harvey, Head of Medicines, Pharmacy and Industry Group, Department of Health, told us: “the NHS has not been good at getting 31 Q 78