Is The Future Is Patient-Centric or Patient Enabled?
It is not just via data that patients will become more empowered. All of the industry spokespeople we interviewed for this paper agreed that the current crisis has brought about such rapid innovation that there is no return to the ‘normal’ of before. Rather, post-Covid, we will enter a ‘next normal’ that is defined by the innovations and disruptions of this time.
This not just about technology, but a huge attitudinal shift. Noreen Doyle explains, “[public sector] organisations have been forced to adopt what for them were really radical working practices that they never would have embraced otherwise.” Noreen notes that – prior to the pandemic — in some public sector organisations tools and practices such as video conferencing and remote working were “never allowed or never used”. Now these practices are widespread and engrained.
We are still not yet clear on the implications of this rapid innovation. Adam Spinks observes, “there has been five to ten years’ worth of organisational change in 3 months. People have cut corners. In three to six months’ time, there will be a day of reckoning.”
Anthony Anandan believes that we are moving towards a more patient-centric approach and that this has profound implications for governance, “This doesn’t just apply to the health sector, but consumers are becoming more and more conscious about the companies that they buy from. Therefore, organisations with strong governance can potentially thrive in the future as people ask more questions and have access to more information.”
In conclusion, Lyndon Johnson — who spent many years on the clinical frontline in emergency departments managing NHS services — believes that there is “no going back from here. Healthcare will be digital-first with patients being asked to take much more responsibility where they are able.” Lyndon adds, “I believe strongly that healthcare is best-delivered in ways patients want it delivered and not in the way that best suits providers of healthcare. That is going to mean a digital first future and I want our clients to be able to support that safely.”
This Blog is an excerpt from the 8foldGovernance White Paper written by Sussex Innovation
