Welcome to Alex’s Agenda, the new weekly column from the front-lines of the future by The Memo’s Editor in Chief, Alex Wood.
Last week Martha Lane Fox, the Government’s new NHS digital innovation tsar, unveiled her bold plans to revolutionise our healthcare system. Her proposals included free wifi, online appointments and digital-first doctors.
Lane Fox is one of Britain’s finest digital champions, but she has a difficult task ahead. I experienced the scale of the challenge during a routine checkup. Because this was my first appointment at a new practice, I entered into the maddening world of patient records.
I don’t understand why it was so complicated to register. I followed the instructions on the NHS Choices website, which turned out to be very good, but problems started as soon as I arrived at the practice.
The receptionist and I got off to a bad start. “How long have you lived in the UK?” she asked. I may be mixed race but I couldn’t help but be slightly offended. She then seemed even more shocked that not only had I arrived with all the necessary forms filled out I’d also brought all the required ID. It pays to read the instructions on the website.
I then had to wait another three weeks for a registration appointment. Without that registration appointment, I wasn’t eligible to see a doctor or request prescriptions. While I waited, I signed up for Babylon, the app that puts a GP in your pocket. It was a world apart. Sign up took a matter of minutes and I spoke to a doctor via a video call from the comfort of my home.
The problem with new apps like Babylon is they can’t access your existing medical data. As Oliver reported, our records are broken, illogical and full of errors. They’re a mess. So for now, as innovative as these apps are, they only work as an added extra to your NHS services.
Things are moving in the right direction. Online appointments are already becoming commonplace at most surgeries and with Martha Lane Fox driving the change forward, I believe there is hope around the corner, but things need to change fast.
When I finally got my 15 minute registration appointment, I saw the impact of terrible technology first hand. The practice nurse struggled with one of the worst-designed pieces of software I’ve ever seen, the stuff of nightmares for user experience experts like Jakob Nielsen. The nurse was brilliant, but her every move was thwarted by the inexcusably bad software that slowed her down and stopped her from doing the work she loved.
Our 15 minute appointment became almost an hour. An hour of precious NHS time lost that could have been used to help people in real need. If airplane pilots were given software this terrible, there would an outcry. It’s time to give our doctors and nurses a system worthy of the great service they give us.
Further delays will only make the sick sicker and eat away at our already struggling health service.
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