Dr Lisa Cameron MP
Chair, All Party Parliamentary Group on Health (APHG)
Becky Rice
Health and Policy Manager, Policy Connect
The UK is experiencing a health care revolution driven by digital and data, promising to transform the way that we are able to diagnose, treat and cure disease.
The COVID-19 pandemic placed the health service under the greatest pressure in its history. It also acted as a catalyst, increasing the agility of services, embedding innovation and driving change and collaboration.
With the introduction of the NHS Health and Care White Paper, integrated care is set to become legislation; this presents an opportunity for policy makers to cement innovation and provide a better patient experience with a focus on personalised care and shared decision making.
Future health innovations offer real promise for those with neurological disease; from improved diagnostics for rarer conditions to potentially curative treatments.
Neurology patient experience
Neurology patients are an example of those with much to gain from health innovation. Approximately one in six people across the UK are living with a neurological condition. Neurology deaths have risen steadily in recent years as overall mortality has fallen.
Many neurological conditions are chronic and/or progressive, with patients experiencing a high symptom burden and a range of unmet needs. Patients should be supported at home but lack of expertise in the community can lead to placement in a care home.
Innovation for better care
Future health innovations offer real promise for those with neurological disease; from improved diagnostics for rarer conditions to potentially curative treatments.
In the meantime, the pandemic has accelerated solutions which may provide better support for people at home. These include telehealth appointments, medication reminders, virtual neurorehabilitation and virtual wards, managing patients with equipment usually found in a specialist setting at home and using regular phone or video calls to check in with patients and their families.
Effective policy
To ensure that innovation and better care is available to everyone, policy makers must ensure that legislation reflects patient need. The All-Party Health Group is one forum for this. The group provides an opportunity to hear the voices of industry and innovators, health service leaders and patients. The group is working to scrutinise legislation and create cross-party recommendations for improved policy.
For more information visit policyconnect.org/aphg
