- The team at TechRound has collected industry expert predictions on what 2022 will bring for the healthcare industry.
- The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted, and continues to impact all major industries, with the healthcare sector being one of the more prominent ones to have undergone drastic change.
- Here, we explore the predictions for what is to come for healthcare in 2022, with opinions offered from a variety of experts in the industry.
2021 has brought a variety of changes to the healthcare industry, with the Covid-19 pandemic meaning more and more people have required treatment in hospitals and from healthcare professionals worldwide. But what is to come in 2022? Here are our experts’ predictions for the upcoming year!
Our Experts Include:
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- Mark Manzo – SVP, Global Lead of Healthcare & Technology at Endava & Isabela Buhai, Delivery Partner at Endava
- Pauline Cox BSc MSc – Author and Nutritionist
- Billy Boulos – Co-Founder of LifeJacket
- Victoria Repa – CEO and Founder of BetterMe
- Diana Nole – EVP and GM, Healthcare Division at Nuance
- John Phillips – General Manager, EMEA at Zuora
- Sonia Bainbridge – Co-Founder of Raw Beauty Lab
- Rav Roberts – CEO of Medsii
- Dr Oliver Harrison – CEO of Koa Health
- Jennifer Mo – Managing Director & Co-founder of Pura Collagen
- Daniel Perez Vidal – Co-Founder & Director of For the Ageless
- Imran Haq – Emerging Science and Technology Theme Lead at Pistoia Alliance
- Dr. Harriet Bradley – Medical Director of Livi
- Giles Humphries – Founder & CMO of Mindful Chef
- Richard Chambers – Founder of Get a Drip
- Dr Fiona Pathiraja – Managing Parter of Crista Galli Ventures
- Mark Kotter – CEO and Founder of bit.bio
- Gary Cutts – Challenge Director – Future Flight – UK Research and Innovation
- Richard Strong – Vice President International Services and Operations, Managing Director EMEA at Allscripts
- Tom Whicher – Chief Executive of DrDoctor
- Thomas Webb – CEO of Ethical Healthcare Consulting
- Felix Williams – Chief CTO of Ethical Healthcare Consulting
- Joe McDonald – Principal Associate of Ethical Healthcare Consulting and former NHS CCIO
- Mark England – Chief Executive of HN
- Lloyd Price – Technology Entrepreneur, Corporate Executive and Board Advisor
- Mark Walton – Chief Technology Officer of Block
- Stuart Harrison – Co-Founder and Chief Executive of ETHOS
- Dr Rachael Grimaldi – Co-Founder and CEO of CardMedic
- Kenny Bloxham – Managing Director of Healthcare Communications
- Ian McNicoll – CEO of freshEHR Clinical Informatics and Director, openEHR International
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For any questions, comments or features, please contact us directly.
Mark Manzo – SVP, Global Lead of Healthcare & Technology at Endava & Isabela Buhai, Delivery Partner at Endava
Many healthcare providers still rely on legacy systems that are outdated and insecure. However, the rapid transformation of the healthcare sector seen in response to COVID-19 will further accelerate in 2022. In order to facilitate access to specific healthcare requirements while aligning with data protection standards and ensuring cost efficiency for the future, healthcare providers will continue to adopt cloud solutions.
Iterative optimisation and modernisation of legacy systems into modern, flexible and integrated technologies, that can easily connect and exchange information with other systems, will be the focus in 2022. IoT technology, especially, promises to revolutionise healthcare by simplifying access to real-time patient data, allowing remote access to patients, but also encouraging self-monitoring. Wearables will be rapidly expanding into broader medical applications and be used for detection, diagnosis, and treatment. We will witness much more backend integration of healthcare providers with wearables throughout 2022.
To deal with the overwhelm caused by the pandemic and the ever-growing backlog in the healthcare system, providers will increasingly lean on automation of routine tasks to improve hospital workflow, from managing staff and patients, to finances, legal issues, logistics and inventory. Automated workflow processes using RPA will reduce the potential for errors, improve productivity, ensure compliance, and reduce overhead in finance, logistics, inventory staff and patient management. This includes repetitive tasks in the clinical pathway for the patient journey.
With more patients than ever using digital health solutions, tele-health will become a must-have feature for patient-facing apps in 2022. Patients now expect better access to care and more personalised experiences. To meet these demands, health service providers will need to further integrate remote patient care and monitoring into their tech stacks by using data analysis, APIs and services-based architecture.
These virtual technologies will be used to drive deeper engagement during patient interactions. Streamlining the patient experience by providing a more unified, omni-channel solution will be the top priority – from searching for a provider, online scheduling and post-visit follow-up. As we continue to witness a rise of digital tools in the healthcare sector, data privacy and patient safety must be at the top-of-mind for every technology provider because we can expect to see governments adding more regulations to protect patients in the near future.
Pauline Cox BSc MSc – Author and Nutritionist
1. Sustainability – Sustainability doesn’t just mean protecting the planet, it also means protecting our long-term health. The “Little Black Dress Diet,” cabbage soup diet and the harsh four-week weight-loss plans are over. 2022 is about using the building blocks of health to build enduring sustainable health. It’s about getting the foundations right to be in control of our health and make lasting change.”
2. Women’s health / hormonal health – Women have been left out of the science world for too long and the effects of this are only just being recognised by the industry (women have known it all along!). Women are no longer seen as “little men” as they have different needs – and differing needs as they age. The health requirements of a 20 year old is different to those of a 50 or 60 year old. It’s no longer enough to use the effects on white mice in laboratories to translate into women’s. Recognising how our oestrogen and progesterone levels change over our lifetime allows us to balance our hormones and mitigate the effects of the peri- and menopause.”
3. Interconnectivity – People are recognising that our health isn’t just dependent on the food on our plate, it’s about how our environment affects us; from the homes we live in, to our daily habits from the time we wake up, to the length of time we sleep. This is a growing trend for 2022 as people take more of a holistic approach to their lives.
4. Gut Health for immunity – The pandemic has shown us how fragile our health can be – and how quickly it can be taken away from us. With our gut so intrinsically linked to our mental health and overall wellbeing, this is a huge topic for next year. New research is being released all the time and so the developments in our understanding will keep on coming.
5. Keto lifestyle – The low-carb lifestyle is already significant in the UK, but it’s predicted to grow extensively next year. Publishers are planning many books and health stores are dedicating more shelf space to keto products. Keto influencers are already making considerable impact and their influence and followers for this healthy lifestyle are set to soar.
6. Blood sugar stability – The foods we eat can send our blood sugars soaring, and then plummeting. Consumers are beginning to recognise the foods that do this – especially the effects they have on schoolchildren and their learning. We still have a long way to go, but how to stabilise our blood sugars is another hot topic for 2022.
Billy Boulos – Co-Founder of LifeJacket
SPF isn’t just for girls. Men are only just recognising what women have known for years – SPF products are the best way to avoid premature ageing. Women’s media have educated women for decades on the importance of SPF protection against UVA and UVB rays to prevent the signs of ageing – even in the depths of winter (UVA radiation can penetrate clouds and windows). The majority of women’s moisturisers also contain SPF protection, men have mostly been left behind. Until now.
Previously, only 3% of men used daily SPF protection. There has been a surge in men wanting to better protect their skin against ageing and cancer. LifeJacket – the UK’s only SPF brand for men saw 259% sales growth in 2021and sales are forecasted to grow another 444% in 2022.
Victoria Repa – CEO and Founder of BetterMe
I believe that “Prevention + mindfulness + technology” will be 3 main parts of the healthcare sector.
Interestingly, for the World Health Organization (WHO) disease prevention and health promotion have long been key topics. It is better to avoid illness than have to treat its consequences. And the main tools are healthy habits: a balanced diet, physical activity, vaccination, and eschewing alcohol and tobacco.
Once Waren Buffet said, “Risk comes from not knowing what you are doing”. In my opinion, nowadays, the quote relates not only to investments or business but to health too. People want to be more mindful about their decisions, live in the moment, enjoy every minute of life, and listen to their bodies more than ever.
I noticed that people are more and more interested in their health. Over half of European young people age 15–24 regularly or occasionally exercise or do sports.
Furthermore, the level at which technology has penetrated people’s lives has surged and there are no signs that this process will ever let up. For example, in January 2021 the number of active internet users worldwide was estimated to be over 4.66 billion.
All the statistics support my prediction that the healthcare sector will consist mostly of “Prevention + mindfulness + technology” in 2022.
The main trends in the healthcare sector are accordingly going to be psychology and technology coming together, “gadgetisation”, raising children with healthy habits and mindfulness.
For any questions, comments or features, please contact us directly.
Diana Nole – EVP and GM, Healthcare Division at Nuance
In days gone by, hospitals, health systems, and other care providers viewed technology vendors as exactly that—companies that supplied the digital tools they were asked to provide. But with the pandemic accelerating the pace of digital change across the healthcare sector to an almost unmanageable level, many organisations are placing greater trust in vendors to help them evolve quickly and intelligently and navigate the future of healthcare.
Within these strategic partnerships, the role of the vendor changes from IT provider to much more of a trusted advisor and dedicated supporter—providing strategic guidance, white glove service and progress reports against specific shared outcomes, however and whenever they’re needed. Instead of waiting to fulfil specific requests, partners work proactively to help guide care providers‘ digital strategies and find creative solutions to emerging challenges like:
• Combating burnout by delivering superior digital working experiences
• Simplifying workflows to help care providers focus on patient outcomes
• Mastering telehealth and developing new best practices for remote care delivery
• Understanding shifting patient preferences and demands, and how technology can help meet them
As partnerships become more important across the healthcare ecosystem, organisations will also look to their partners to help them establish and comply with standards that help them stay flexible and easy to collaborate with, without sacrificing security or privacy.
John Phillips – General Manager, EMEA at Zuora
As we move into 2022, healthcare and health tech companies around the world will increasingly turn to subscription data. Health tech providers and companies can use this data to give patients, practitioners and healthcare institutions relevant insights to match services with demand and encourage longer term commitment. Additionally, providers of healthcare services could use these insights to personalise their offerings and ensure patients are aligned to the best treatment options.
Some companies – like Philips – are already reaping the rewards of pivoting to a more customer-centric business model. By leveraging the company’s deep clinical and consumer insights to offer more integrated, connected and customer-focused solutions, they are able to deliver ongoing value and engagement, encouraging customers to return to the brand time and time again.
Sonia Bainbridge – Co-Founder of Raw Beauty Lab
Nutricosmetics is a relatively new space in the beauty arena that involves eating your way to great skin, hair and nails. You’ll often see powerful superfoods like Camu Camu, which has 60 times more vitamin C than an orange, to help your skin and body build collagen for more plump, youthful skin.
There’s a whole host of exotic nutricosmetic ingredients derived from exotic plants, flowers and herbs that have been proven through extensive scientific research, to help repair and nourish your skin from within by harnessing the power of wholefood phytonutrients. Ingesting (as opposed to topically applying) these ingredients allows them to reach the deepest layer of your skin and target issues such as acne scarring, fine lines and wrinkles and dull tired skin directly, to unveil plump, healthy, naturally radiant skin.
Better yet, nutricosmetics allows you to target multiple issues with a single supplement, as the phytonutrients in nutricosmetics can help reduce hair loss, strengthen your nails and improve overall wellness while improving the elasticity and glow of your skin.
Enhance your beauty routine with a 100% natural, wholefood collagen supplement and get incredible, long term results that don’t wash off.
Rav Roberts – CEO of Medsii
Existing healthcare resources, processes and organisational structures are still almost all focused on reacting to health conditions as they arise. In 2022 we’ll see clearer than ever that the healthcare system – in both the private and public sectors – needs to change from this reactive position to a preventative stance.
We’ve already begun to see companies like Levels, Medsii, Whoop and Oura enter the market to do just this, but it’s a trend I fully expect to continue and grow, with larger organisations also pursuing this strategy. The benefits – both financial and societal – are simply too big to ignore.
For any questions, comments or features, please contact us directly.
Dr Oliver Harrison – CEO of Koa Health
The marketplace for digital mental health tools is crowded and confusing, with more than 10,000 ‘health and wellness apps’ offered on the Apple and Google Play stores. However, according to ORHCA nearly 70% of these apps fail to meet minimum criteria for effectiveness. With so much unproven technology out there, it is unsurprising that consumers and businesses find it hard to find the handful of solutions that offer clinically validated, ethical and effective care.
In 2022, I predict that we will begin to fathom the second pandemic of mental health issues in the UK and worldwide. The UK government will focus attention on how employers can avoid harm and promote wellbeing, using the new workplace wellbeing standard (ISO45003) – the first global standard aimed at improving psychological health in the workplace. As a result, governments and regulators will strengthen reporting and guidelines, including support to find effective digital mental health tools to help meet such standards.
Yet again, New Zealand provides a glimpse of the future. In 2021 New Zealand’s Digital Mental Health and Addiction Service successfully created a framework of guiding principles through which to assess whether mobile apps and online tools meet the standards for treatment. To tackle the unprecedented medical need for help and leverage the power of digital, I expect to see other countries and organisations take inspiration in 2022.
Jennifer Mo – Managing Director & Co-founder of Pura Collagen
2022 is going to be an exciting year in the health & wellness space. If the pandemic has taught us anything it’s that the consumer mindset around self care has shifted from a ‘maybe I’ll look into this further’ to ‘I need to own my health and protect myself’. Consumers are doing the research and purchasing products, not on a whim, but as an effective tool to stay on and keep themselves in optimal condition.
In previous years, it would be typical to see trending months around the FMCG in the health & wellness sector. Brands position themselves through product offerings and marketing to capture the ‘new year, new you’ consumer mindset, but the pandemic really changed that. With limited access to gyms due to lockdowns and changing attitudes to risk factors people started to believe that wellness isn’t a resolution, we should all be living our best lives and products that help us do so started to chart a new sell through identity. The graph undulated less and overall, we’ve seen these products stabilise as consumers incorporate them into daily routines.
Daniel Perez Vidal – Co-Founder & Director of For the Ageless
The surge of fermented foods will continue in 2022 and slow cooking will gain impulse. The benefits of feeding good bacteria with pre and probiotics along with the use of enzymes to improve digestion have become obvious. We’ve come to realise it’s not only what we eat but also how much we absorb that matters. We’ve learned our microbiome needs nurturing if we want to maintain good immune health. Fermentation increases the nutritional value and properties of complex foods like medicinal mushrooms. Slow cooking allows many of the natural enzymes in foods to be utilised and improve digestion and absorption.
We are returning to simple natural remedies, infusions and herbal extracts for their modulating capacity.
After the proven success of CBD oils from hemp plants, turmeric and ashwagandha, more traditional remedies from Ayurvedic, Chinese and Western naturopathy like valerian root, ginseng and Nigella seed extract will continue to surge in 2022. A chamomile tea may sound very simple, but It contains around 120 metabolites including terpenoids and flavonoids. During the pandemic, we’ve rediscovered a lot of goodness in our back gardens.
Imran Haq – Emerging Science and Technology Theme Lead at Pistoia Alliance
Driven by macro geopolitical trends and Big Tech, emerging technologies are being developed increasingly rapidly. Reflecting this, deal making in the quantum space will continue to grow a pace in 2022. As the buzz around the sector increases, will this be the year we finally start to see translation of this buzz into early versions of applications and use cases in the pharma industry?
A likely quantum use case could be to improve supply chain efficiency. Big promises have been made during COP26, and large organizations, including pharma companies, must have net zero strategies. This is also an area we would like to explore with the Pistoia Alliance’s Quantum Computing Community of Interest.
Pharma is also going to play an increasingly critical role in space exploration. As plans to launch a commercial space station from companies like Blue Origin accelerate, pharma should be engaged to ensure humans are healthy and can survive in the long term in extreme environments. 2022 is the time to think how we could be moulding and driving forward health in space.
For any questions, comments or features, please contact us directly.
Dr. Harriet Bradley – Medical Director of Livi
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on our mental health, and 2022 will see accelerated adoption of digital tools by GPs and patients to help people access the care they need.
According to the latest data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS), 1 in 5 British adults experienced some form of depression in the first quarter of 2021, compared to 1 in ten before the pandemic. There is a clear need for increased capacity in the system, and technology has an important role to play in diagnosing and treating mental health conditions.
In response to the growing need, this year Livi will launch a number of services designed to help people access treatment and manage their own mental health. One such service, Internet Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (ICBT), will allow psychologists to treat patients suffering from mental health issues, including depression, anxiety and stress. The programme features self-help assessments and modules, as well as chat and video contact with a therapist, which enables patients to manage symptoms and access specialist support.
Our messaging platform MJog by Livi will shortly launch remote monitoring tools that will help GPs identify and monitor people with depression through a questionnaire sent straight to their smartphones.
Beyond mental health, we will continue to offer remote video consultations, improving patient access to outstanding healthcare by removing the long wait times associated with in-person appointments, and adding capacity in understaffed areas.
Giles Humphries – Founder & CMO of Mindful Chef
In 2022, Sustainability will continue to be a primary consideration for health-conscious consumers, who understand that the health of our planet is just as crucial to protect as that of our own. The Waitrose Food & Drink Report 2021-22 cited that 70% of its customers said the carbon footprint of their food is important to them. Interest in the impact our food choices have, will lead to an increased demand for transparency from food retailers.
As part of Mindful Chef’s mission to become NetZero by 2030 and to make sustainable eating easy, we have recently introduced Carbon Labelling, where we measure the carbon footprint of our recipes at each stage in their life cycle, to empower Mindful Chef customers to make informed choices about how to reduce their individual carbon footprint and fight climate change. The average person’s diet-related carbon footprint is around 5.17kg of CO2e per day. In line with the Paris Climate Agreement, the WWF set out an international target of reducing dietary related emissions to 4.09kg CO2e per person per day by 2030, in order to limit global warming to 1.5°C. Our Low Carbon range, on average, emits 20% less carbon than the average UK dinner. Putting this into practice, if everyone in the UK swapped one dinner a week for a ‘low carbon’ Mindful Chef recipe, it would save over 1.5 million tonnes of CO2e per year.
Another trend set to continue this year is the demand for customised solutions in personal health. At Mindful Chef, we have expanded our range to bring customers healthy and convenient options for all occasions: breakfast, lunch, dinner and desserts. Like our recipe boxes, our Chef Prepared range, which offers meals for when time is less available, caters to a variety of dietary requirements, so our customers can create a bespoke order of healthy and convenient meals for their household.
Richard Chambers – Founder of Get a Drip
Google searches for ‘gut health’ have increased by 83%, highlighting the rising concern around promoting gut health and digestion to aid maximum wellness. A third of the UK population suffers from gut health issues and a standard test to identify health problems can set individuals back around £400, which is a big investment. Get A Drip offers an affordable and accessible way to better understand your gut health and microbiome. Simply order online and you will receive your kit in the post, follow the instructions, collect your sample and send it back. Get a Drip will then analyse the data of your gut bacteria and interpret the details. All you have to do is log on to your personal account for the results and a free 30 minute consultation with an expert nutritionist.
Mindful movement is set to be a key trend in 2022 with a focus on exercise tailored to your individual needs and schedules. A simple way to introduce mindful movement into your life, or ease back into a fitness regime, is through personal training sessions. Frame is launching Personal Training – bespoke 1-2-1 tailored sessions designed to level up your fitness and wellbeing so you can live a happier and healthier life.
Boosting and strengthening our immune systems are top on the agenda for 2022, with an 84% increase in Google searches. Following lockdown, the population has been more prone to catching common colds and flus, so it’s more important than ever to help boost your body’s immune system. From eating a more varied diet, sleeping well, and getting your daily dose of Vitamin D with the help from Get A Drip’s ‘Immunity Drip’ – all of these small additions can help strengthen immunity.
Recent studies show 73% of consumers want to be more sustainable, but aren’t sure where to start. Although beginning a sustainability journey may feel daunting, one simple change consumers can adopt to up eco-creds is to Buy Less, Wear More – the mantra at the core of Kair’s brand values. Formulated with gentle and protective plant-based ingredients, and no harmful chemicals, Kair’s laundry products are designed to maximise the lifespan of existing wardrobes, rather than buying more and adding to fashion’s waste problem. From signature, wool, delicate and activewear washes to freshening on the go, there is a detergent for every need.
We face many stressors in both our work lives and personal lives so it’s important to monitor your feelings and help protect your mental health. Downloading apps such as the stress and anxiety app Companion, which has over 400 guides on 40 different mental health and wellbeing topics will help support and guide you through the daily challenges faced in all parts of your life.
Dr Fiona Pathiraja – Managing Parter of Crista Galli Ventures
Disruption in healthtech will come from traditional, generalist telehealth services moving from General Practice (GP)-based models to specialised services designed around specific communities. Today, as individuals or consumers, we seek communities online.
Healthcare and patient communities are no different. Startups providing online care are starting to specialise. Examples include Fella Health, a Y-combinator backed telehealth service for men with obesity, LVNDR, online sexual health services for the LGBTQ+ community and Crista Galli Portfolio company Keleya, an online platform matching pregnant women to midwives in Germany for telemidwife appointments. Personalisation of health isn’t only about the genome, it is also about services tailored to an individual’s needs.
Previously, cell structures, drug molecules etc were all discovered in a very long human-first process. Today, scientists collaborate with software engineers, data scientists, doctors and biological engineers to use tech to speed up and deepen scientific enquiry. The nexus of all these fields is computational biology. It is a rapidly evolving field heading over to Europe from Silicon Valley.
The European computational biology space is looking up as Demis Hassabis, cofounder of Deep Mind moves into AI driven drug discovery via his new company, Isomorphic labs.
Investors are also getting less squeamish about the idea of investing in a wet lab plus AI type company where instead of ‘just’ pure AI and software, the company has to prove their experiments with live tissue samples/molecules in a wet lab. Our portfolio company, Pear Bio, is a good example of this.
The pandemic has driven huge swathes of the population to use online healthcare. From Babylon and KRY to public sector services like the NHS, healthcare is moving online and patients and physicians are starting to like it.
However, startups providing care only online will start to consolidate and also provide care in real life via relationships with clinics. They realise that healthcare can’t exclusively occur online and it can’t replace diagnosis or treatment of some
cases that require an in-person visit. So, startups will head out beyond the mobile phone into the real world of bricks and mortar and in doing so, will capture more of the healthcare value chain.
For any questions, comments or features, please contact us directly.
Mark Kotter – CEO and Founder of bit.bio
2022 will see more advances and investment in cell therapies coupled together with synthetic biology approaches. It is one of the most exciting developments in the life sciences – cell therapies have the potential to treat almost any human disease, including degenerative conditions or cancer.
There are a small number of cell therapies out there, but they rely on donors or patients, which makes them costly and bespoke. A big challenge for companies to overcome is producing a reliable, consistent supply of human cells to match the needs of patients, and of diseases, and 2022 will see large scale investment and research in this area. It could be a revolution in how we treat disease and the start of bringing these next generation medicines to every patient. Watch this space!
Gary Cutts – Challenge Director – Future Flight – UK Research and Innovation
2022 will be an exciting year for flight technology, like drones, and we will start to see real-world impact from its implementation. One area showing great promise is in how drones can be used to support healthcare systems like the NHS.
There are numerous cases where drones can support delivering vital equipment such as defibrillators where they are needed, or transporting healthcare equipment to remote areas that are not easily accessible to ambulances. We’ve predicted that over 25,000 drones will be in use in public defence, health and education by 2030 for instance.
That means to see these benefits, in 2022, engineers, architects, data scientists, and other related specialists will need to make headway not only in the capabilities of air vehicles, but building the regulatory frameworks and knowledge infrastructure that will enable flight technology to thrive. We anticipate enormous benefits for healthcare systems, and also for search and rescue operations, consumer delivery, and even monitoring for large oil and gas projects if we get this right now.
Richard Strong – Vice President International Services and Operations, Managing Director EMEA at Allscripts
Technology suppliers must continue to work with clinical colleagues to ensure solutions we provide make their lives easier, freeing them up to spend more time caring for patients. In 2022, we’ll see continued progress in sharing health data within ICSs, which will make a huge difference to clinicians and patients across care settings. A key focus for ICSs will be building inclusive digital strategies to support equitable care delivery for all.
In Allscripts’ role as a solution provider, we’re committed to supporting regional systems to integrate and helping leaders create the right culture for technology to make a difference. In 2022, we’ll also see technology that empowers patients to take more control over their health as a necessary, not a nice to have. As technologies mature, integrating them with core clinical systems such as EPRs will improve the flow of information from patient to clinician, helping to tackle the elective backlog with the improved efficiencies.
Tom Whicher – Chief Executive of DrDoctor
2022 will see the increasing need to look at digital patient care to break the backlog. The sector will accelerate the use digital first models to enable patients to be updated on where there are on a waiting list or when they are likely to be seen – much in the same way they are currently updated on their Amazon delivery.
As ICSs evolve there will be a need to coordinate care across boundaries so there will be a huge appetite for giving people the tools to self-manage their condition. Whether that’s having a video consolation online, booking or rescheduling an appointment, being seen based on their need or being able to send symptoms to a clinician online.
“The use (and patient acceptance) of AI will grow to bridge health inequalities, identify patients who are most at risk and enable hyper-personalised healthcare delivery for the NHS.
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Thomas Webb – CEO of Ethical Healthcare Consulting
Throughout 2021 we’ve seen a greater understanding that the pace of technology brought in at the start of the pandemic isn’t sustainable. Despite that, there is a confidence in the art of the possible and the opportunity to go into 2022 working better, faster and smarter, with senior NHS leaders recognising digital is a business cost and not a luxury item.
We’re also expecting to see more of a move towards open data architectures – with an increasing number of NHS organisations already exploring options. This is only going to be accelerated if the newly formed NHSE supports these initiatives with funding, which I fully expect they will align with the national data strategy. At the other end of the spectrum, I think that investment in user-centric design and behavioural change will continue to grow, and to see the NHS catching up with other industries.
Felix Williams – CTO of Ethical Healthcare Consulting
In 2022 we expect the out of hospital trend to continue. The focus will continue to be on data sharing of both images and reports, from CDC to acute but also pan and inter-network. We anticipate a general move to image-sharing standards and away from supplier-proprietary mechanisms and to bust pandemic backlogs, a renewed focus on centralised reporting across networks/consortiums.
The emergence of the ICSs as constituted bodies may also see them operating services in support of the imaging networks: regional patient indices, cloud data repositories, centralised messaging capabilities. Use of AI in support of diagnostics will continue to grow, enabled by the centralisation of imaging data.
Joe McDonald – Principal Associate of Ethical Healthcare Consulting, former NHS CCIO
I might be alone in mourning the demise of Matt Hancock and his creation of NHSX but the tech vision he outlined with the help of visionaries like Hadley Beeman was the best vision of the future I can recall. It emphasised open platforms rather than quick-fix proprietary software. However, with a complete reorganisation I suspect we will go back to attempting to procuring our way out of the current mess.
2022 will see growing acknowledgement that the mega suite solutions will never be able to do it all and that a modular cultivational approach with open platforms is the only sensible way ahead. A philosophy of working “with the installed base” will mean working with the best of what we have – NHS App and GP IT – from here we could grow the best health IT in the world.
We’ve seen some amazing progress in remote working and consultations and have achieved velocity for the adoption of digital, now we just need to cure the NHS of its addiction to second class stamps.
Mark England – Chief Executive of HN
Right now, healthcare providers are challenged with the growing elective backlog, overwhelming numbers using urgent and emergency care (UEC) and a staffing crisis. If the NHS is to recover from this position, we must see in 2022 further adoption of innovative ways of providing proactive care away from the hospital and GP surgery.
Instead of focusing on reactive care, providers will need digital health solutions to help facilitate a more proactive and personal experience, particularly for high-need patients with long-term conditions. I’d personally like to see greater trust put in machine learning to help predict patients who would benefit from more proactive, personalised care to help mitigate future demand from high intensity users of UEC.
Patients will also need to play an active role in managing their own health in 2022 and beyond. I’m looking forward to seeing the impact of the funding provided for additional capacity to educate, support and encourage patients.
For any questions, comments or features, please contact us directly.
Lloyd Price – Technology Entrepreneur, Corporate Executive and Board Advisor
The last 18 months have seen a lot of waiting, frustration and anxiety build up on both sides of the healthcare coin, as patients become “impatient” and healthcare professionals focus on addressing the ever increasing backlogs across the system.
As ICSs gain statutory footing, the responsibility they hold across regions will increase, their responsibility over data protection and cybersecurity notwithstanding. Cybersecurity risks are bigger now than ever before, and it could only take one incident to derail the hard work, planning and patience of staff. 2022 will require us to invest in and be responsible for data and security, ensuring structures protecting them are watertight.
Finally, I expect real attention to be paid on tackling staff burnout that is likely to increase after what we expect to be a challenging winter. Local and central leaders must plan for eventualities as a result of this burnout, such as huge staff absences in turn deploying solutions such as staff banks that replace locums to alleviate pressures.
Mark Walton – CTO of Block
Cloud, data and security will continue to be pivotal in enabling healthcare organisations to meet transformation agendas. IT teams that don’t embrace this vision, reinforced in the WGLL framework, risk finding their value diminished. Sustainability and resilience will become more important in decision making, with technology becoming a critical component towards net-zero carbon. Also in 2022 a modern network will be key, acting as the foundation for the evolving smart workplace and supporting organisation’s green ambitions. Capabilities like location analytics, identity-based access and digital power will provide significant operational efficiencies across medical device and building resource management.
Stuart Harrison – Co-Founder and Chief Executive of ETHOS
Digital safety as a core competence for healthcare practitioners is an emerging field, with frameworks being published by the Faculty of Clinical Informatics and Health Education England. However, it can feel like a big hill to climb for busy clinicians post-pandemic. Although the NHS is leading developments in digital safety, we’d like to see more training on offer which would add value to healthcare professionals’ portfolios, audits by regulators and aid practice development.
In 2022, we expect to see more organisations with a registered clinician who is a Clinical Safety Officer. As we move forward with the ‘re-set of services’ post-pandemic, we need to raise awareness of mandated standards and must actively support clinicians to optimise their use of digital clinical risk management methods. Alternatively, we can invest in training clinicians as Clinical Safety Officers to improve patient digital safety across frontline services.
Dr Rachael Grimaldi – Co-Founder and CEO of CardMedic
Health inequity is now part of mainstream conversation as a result of being brought into stark focus by the pandemic. In 2022 I hope that we see momentum continue across the industry for identifying innovative digital solutions to the challenges that exacerbate health inequalities. As the NHS recovers, we need to make sure we don’t go back to doing things how they’ve always been done, as the digital solutions developed and embraced by clinicians and patients during the last 12 months will have a huge part to play in a future sustainable care system for all.
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Kenny Bloxham – Managing Director of Healthcare Communications
Moving into 2022, we’ll focus on backlog management, deploying at scale our appointment scheduling platform and improving our remote monitoring platform. We’ll also be developing our Patient Initiated Follow Up technology to include voice alongside digital options.
Telehealth has been deployed at scale during the pandemic and will become a more permanent fixture in 2022. However, to improve effectiveness and acceptance, I expect to see more formalised research and training to support the delivery of best practices. This is something our transformation team are focusing on. As a CISCO company, we’ll also be driving innovation in support of the digital hospital agenda.
Ian McNicoll – CEO of freshEHR Clinical Informatics and Director, openEHR International
We expect there to be an increasing interest in the UK and across Europe in standards-based platform architectures alongside traditional interoperability. We also expect an improved understanding that a blend of standards is required and that there are no silver bullets. It will take time but there will be recognition that top-down standardisation has limited impact and that community-led evolutionary approaches are needed in parallel. Outside of standards, I think we’ll see the assumption that the GP system is the primary source of the longitudinal patient record being challenged, with several regions exploring single shared prescribing records, as have been deployed in Denmark.
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