Less paperwork, more practice: UK Government data bill is economic win
Downing Street believes an overhaul on secure and effective use of digital information for the NHS and police could also lead to a major win for the wider tech economy.
The new Data Use and Access Bill was introduced to parliament on Wednesday 23rd October. According to the architects, this could free up millions of policing and healthcare staff hours, and will contribute to delivering three of Labour’s five Missions to ‘rebuild Britain’ — kickstarting economic growth, making streets safer and securing the future of the NHS.
By cutting down on bureaucracy, it is hoped 1.5million police hours could be saved a year through a reduction in admin work. Meanwhile, by making it easier to transfer patient data between departments, 140,000 hours of NHS frontline staff time could also be saved, while patient outcomes could be significantly faster.
Despite much of the bill focusing on trimming paperwork and making it easier to share information, Technology Secretary Peter Kyle has insisted essential safeguards will continue to track and analyse how personal data is used. Both police and National Health Service systems will offer ‘the highest standards of security’.
‘Data is the DNA of modern life and quietly drives every aspect of our society and economy without us even noticing – from our NHS treatments and social interactions to our business and banking transactions,’ said Kyle. ‘It has the enormous potential to make our lives better, boosting our National Health Service, cutting costs when we shop, and saving us valuable time. With laws that help us to use data securely and effectively, this Bill will help us boost the UK’s economy, free up vital time for our front-line workers, and relieve people from unnecessary admin so that they can get on with their lives.’
Looking at the Bill’s specifics, police officers will no longer need to meet longwinded and unnecessary manual logging requirements each time they need to access sensitive information for case work. This alone could save up to £43million of taxpayer’s money each year. And healthcare workers will now be able to access details of patients’ pre-existing conditions, upcoming and recent appointments, and tests, streamlining transfers between trusts, GPs surgeries, ambulance services and specialist teams.
‘The NHS is broken, but imagine its enormous potential if each part of the system communicated properly with each other. That starts with sharing vital medical records between healthcare providers, because it shouldn’t be the patient’s responsibility to join the dots for their doctor,’ said Health & Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting.
‘How can a GP diagnose a problem without knowing about someone’s recent hospital surgery? This Bill and our Ten Year Health Plan will ensure important data flows safely and securely through the NHS, freeing up staff time and speeding up patient care,’ he continued. ‘I know people worry about Big Brother, which is why data will only be shared to the most relevant staff and anybody using data must comply with strict security protocols.’
The Bill is also designed to ‘support the future of open banking and the growth of new smart data schemes’ by legislating on data sharing across multiple platforms, setting precedents for individuals and businesses to follow. As a result, the economic benefits could go well beyond savings on public expenditure, and bring in some £10billion over the course of a decade.
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Image: Wesley Tingey
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