1 Introduction
1. New medical technologies have the potential to
transform the way in which health and social care services are
provided.[1] According
to the NHS Improvement Plan: "evidence indicates that telecare[2]
can bring substantial benefits in providing people with greater
choice over their care, assisting people to remain in their homes,
reducing inappropriate admissions, facilitating discharge from
hospital, and providing advance warning of deterioration in a
patient's condition."[3]
2. The UK is a world-leader and centre of excellence
for the development of new medical technologies, but it lags behind
many countries in the implementation of these innovative products.
Sir Derek Wanless[4] observed
the UK has "been slow to adopt and diffuse new technologies"[5]
resulting in it "lagging behind many other countries."[6]
3. We announced our intention to hold this inquiry
in December 2004 with the following terms of reference:
The Committee will undertake a short inquiry into
the use of new medical technologies within the NHS. In particular,
this will include consideration of:
- The utilisation of telemedicine
(including telecare) and its future potential for improving services
- The recommendations of the
Healthcare Industries Task Force (HITF) Report, published 17 November
2004
- The speed of, and barriers to, the introduction
of new technologies
- The effectiveness and cost benefit of new
technologies.
We decided to exclude from the scope of the inquiry
the National Programme for Information Technology (NPfIT) and
pharmacological technologies owing to the shortness of the inquiry.
Moreover, the Committee had examined these areas recently.
4. People are living longer and surviving previously
life-threatening illnesses, due in part to advances in medical
science. The population is an ageing one, which requires a different
range of services to help manage long-term conditions and to support
independent living. New medical technologies can assist elderly
people and those with disabilities to be cared for in their homes,
as well as in hospital, residential and care settings. Accordingly,
we were particularly interested in the care of the elderly and
how new medical technologies could assist in the integration of
health and social care.
5. On 3 March 2005 we took oral evidence from Professor
Carl May, Centre for Health Services, University of Newcastle
upon Tyne; Mr Baljit Dheansa, Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation
Trust (QVH); Mr John Wilkinson, Association of British Healthcare
Industries (ABHI); Professor Sir James Underwood, President, Royal
College of Pathologists; Mr Tony Rice, Tunstall Group Ltd; Dr
Felicity Harvey, Professor Tom Walley and Professor Ian Philp,
Department of Health (hereafter 'the Department'); and Sir Christopher
O'Donnell, Co-Chairman of the Healthcare Industries Task Force.
6. In addition we received written memoranda from
a variety of professional bodies, companies, academics, independent
consultants, charities and clinicians. We are most grateful to
all who provided written or oral evidence.
7. Our specialist advisers in this inquiry were Professor
Andrew Webster, Professor in the Sociology of Science and Technology
at the University of York and Melanie Henwood, an independent
health and social care analyst. We wish to express our gratitude
to Professor Webster and Melanie Henwood for their help on technical
matters, for giving us the benefit of their knowledge and for
the enthusiasm and expertise with which they assisted us at the
evidence session.
1 Ev 30 Back
2
Telecare - includes systems that incorporate electronic devices
that can alert the occupant of a house or a care response system
on the occurrence or non-occurrence of predetermined events. Ev
38 Back
3
Department of Health, The NHS Improvement Plan: Putting People
at the Heart of Public Services, Cm 6268, June 2004, p 67 Back
4
Sir Derek Wanless, carried out the Health Trends Review at the
request of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. In April 2002, he
produced the report Securing our Future Health: Taking a Long-Term
View. He continued his advisory work for Government in October
2002 when he agreed to advise the Welsh Assembly Government in
its review of health and social care. He undertook further work
for the UK Government and in February 2004 published Securing
Good Health for the Whole Population. Back
5
Derek Wanless, "Securing Our Future Health: Taking a Long-Term
View", HM Treasury, April 2002, p 157 Back
6
Derek Wanless, "Securing Our Future Health: Taking a Long-Term
View", HM Treasury, April 2002, p 156 Back
| 
