National Digital Updates

NIHR Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) Transformation Programme: end of 2023-24 update

29 April 2024

The NIHR Digital, Data and Technology programme have shared an update on  the progress of the transformation programme in 2023/24.

The update can be viewed to the right, and opened at full size or downloaded using the arrow to the top right of the preview window.

To learn more about DDaT and their work within the NIHR please visit their website.

DDaT Transformation Programme End of Q4 Comms (2023_24).pdf

Google Training Platform open to all NIHR staff

15 April 2024

The NIHR DDaT service has announced that the Department of Health and Social Care have approved Live Learning Co to provide training across numerous Google Workspace applications. This is an opportunity to provide all NIHR staff with high quality training on the use of Google programs and tools. From 15 April 2024 all NIHR staff will be able to access the Google Training Platform through the NIHR Hub, alongside other Google services (pictured below), and via this link. Sessions will run regularly and can be reviewed as recordings following completion.

NIHR Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) Transformation Programme: Q4 2023-24 update

February 2024

The NIHR Digital, Data and Technology programme have shared an update on all ongoing aspects of their transformation programme; please see the full update here, and to learn more about DDaT and their work within the NIHR please visit their website.

The NHS will roll out new software from spring next year to deliver better joined-up care for millions of patients, help tackle waiting lists and reduce hospital discharge delays.

The software will bring together existing NHS data, making it easier for staff to access key information to provide improved and more timely patient care.

The new tool, known as the Federated Data Platform, will join up key information currently held in separate NHS systems to tackle some of the big challenges the health service faces coming out of the pandemic.

By bringing together real time data, such as the number of beds in a hospital, the size of elective waiting lists, staff rosters, the availability of medical supplies and social care places, staff can plan and maximise resources such as operating theatre and outpatient clinic time to ensure patients receive more timely care.

To read more, please see the original article at NHS England.

The NHS is to expand the use of a research platform behind the roll-out of new Covid-19 treatments to help drive life-saving advances for other major diseases.

With the support of GPs and academic researchers, the NHS is widening the use of the service to allow scientists to securely analyse data in GP systems – without seeing patient-identifiable information – in a plan which could lead to the discovery of new treatments for other major conditions such as cancer, diabetes and asthma.

Access to this data will help researchers understand more about medicines, treatments and patient outcomes, which could support better clinical practice and provide crucial evidence on the most effective prescribing.

During the pandemic, academic researchers used anonymised NHS data to help identify new treatments for Covid-19 and understand how best to keep communities safe. Data analysis also helped the NHS to prioritise care to the most vulnerable people, and to develop vaccines against the virus.

One of the key systems used to deliver these insights was NHS England’s OpenSAFELY service, developed in collaboration with the Bennett Institute for Applied Data Science at the University of Oxford.

OpenSAFELY – which has so far enabled over 150 research projects from 22 different organisations – played a crucial role during the pandemic, helping researchers to understand which patients were most at risk from the virus, evaluate the effectiveness of vaccines, monitor which patients were receiving new Covid-19 treatments, and understand changes in patient care during and after the pandemic.

The NHS will now carefully test which types of research the service could support beyond Covid-19, following feedback from academic researchers, patients, and medical professionals.

To read more, please see the original article at NHS England.

NIHR Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) Transformation Programme: Mid Q3 2023-24 update

November 2023

The NIHR Digital, Data and Technology programme have shared an update on all ongoing aspects of their transformation programme; please see the full update here, and to learn more about DDaT and their work within the NIHR please visit their website.