Healthcare and NHS IT
IT is becoming increasingly critical for healthcare delivery. Vital initiatives such as electronic medical records, patient administration systems and telehealth are receiving growing investment in the NHS and elsewhere. Key technologies such as mobile, tablets and cloud are also essential for improving the healthcare industry with digital healthcare technology. Read the latest news about NHS IT and find resources on the broader world of healthcare IT with the news, case studies and advice in this topic section.
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News
03 Jan 2024
Artificial intelligence to the front in Sweden’s National Technology Strategy
Sweden focuses in on artificial intelligence in its latest far-reaching national IT strategy Continue Reading
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Feature
25 Oct 2023
Finland shows off its new 20-qubit quantum computer
Anybody who scoffs at Finland’s lofty ambitions in the field of quantum computing should remember that not only is the country home to one of Europe's most successful companies (Nokia), but it also houses Europe’s most powerful supercomputer (LUMI). Continue Reading
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News
24 Aug 2020
CCS to launch £800m NHS IT framework
Collaborative framework agreement will cover a range of IT management services for use by NHS Digital and other public sector health and social care organisations Continue Reading
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News
19 Aug 2020
Scotland announces £15m investment to boost connectivity
Funding package aimed at improving internet access for 23,000 low-income households Continue Reading
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News
18 Aug 2020
Government scraps Public Health England
NHS Test and Trace boss Dido Harding will run a new National Institute of Health Protection dubbed “the best chance” of beating coronavirus by health secretary Matt Hancock Continue Reading
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News
18 Aug 2020
UK Biobank to build AWS-hosted data analysis platform with DNAnexus to speed research
UK Biobank is looking to the cloud to help democratise access to its research data, and ensure the information it holds can be used by as broad a user base as possible Continue Reading
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News
18 Aug 2020
Northern Ireland Covid-19 tracing app reaches 250,000 downloads
In the two weeks since it went live, Northern Ireland’s Covid-19 test and trace app has been downloaded a quarter of a million times Continue Reading
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News
18 Aug 2020
HPE signs 12-month hybrid cloud-focused MoU with UK government
Hardware giant becomes the first non-cloud provider to sign preferential pricing deal with government’s Crown Commercial Service, as push to encourage public sector move to cloud accelerates Continue Reading
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News
14 Aug 2020
UK government investigates AI labour market
Survey will seek to discover new requirements and issues posed by artificial intelligence technology Continue Reading
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News
12 Aug 2020
NHS SBS spies £75m savings on IT purchases through new procurement framework
NHS organisations and public sector bodies will be encouraged to use £500m procurement framework to acquire IT software and hardware in a more cost-effective way Continue Reading
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News
11 Aug 2020
NHS hit by thousands of malicious emails at height of pandemic
The NHS received nearly 30,000 malicious emails at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in March and April Continue Reading
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News
06 Aug 2020
TfL Go launched to support travel in London during pandemic
New tool aims to enable users to plan routes and comply with social distancing measures while using public transport Continue Reading
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News
06 Aug 2020
NHS seeks new national data guardian for health and care
New national data guardian will take over the post from Fiona Caldicott, working to build trust in data use across health and social care Continue Reading
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News
05 Aug 2020
Egypt’s datacentre plans take key step forward
Government lays the foundations for a datacentre industry with its new data protection law Continue Reading
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News
31 Jul 2020
Hancock: Better tech means better healthcare
The coronavirus pandemic has “catalysed” data-driven decision making in the NHS, according to health secretary Matt Hancock, promising a future NHS that “doubles down” on technological advances Continue Reading
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News
30 Jul 2020
HMCTS video hearings service scrutinised in LSE report
Independent evaluation looks at user experience of video functionality for courts and tribunals Continue Reading
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News
30 Jul 2020
How Broxbourne is evolving digital transformation beyond Covid-19
The small town of Broxbourne in Hertfordshire is building on work before and during the pandemic to advance its modernisation agenda Continue Reading
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News
29 Jul 2020
Campaigners urge government to resist big tech lobbying pressure
Lobbyists for big tech, supported by senior US politicians, have rallied against stricter regulation of technology companies, and threatened the US-UK trade deal unless Britain scraps plans to levy a digital services tax Continue Reading
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Opinion
29 Jul 2020
Taking back control of government data mustn’t leave the public in the dark
Boris Johnson has quietly transferred control over government data to Number 10, without explaining why. The public deserves more involvement in how their personal data is being used, says Labour Continue Reading
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News
28 Jul 2020
Latent demand for fertility tech identified by market study
Global investment in fertility tech startups tops $2.2bn over five-year period, with significant growth opportunities going forward due to combination of technological innovation and latent demand for fertility treatments Continue Reading
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News
28 Jul 2020
Councils get funding to build on Covid-19 digital progress
The latest council funding is intended to ensure continued modernisation in public services delivery Continue Reading
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News
24 Jul 2020
Venture firm Public launches fourth GovTech accelerator
The GovStart 2020 accelerator programme is looking for innovators working on transport, health and workforce-related technology to help get more startups working on the delivery of public services Continue Reading
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News
23 Jul 2020
UK government aims for tech-enabled border
A consultation has been launched to gather views on how digital approaches can improve trader and traveller demands by 2025 Continue Reading
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News
22 Jul 2020
DCMS loses government data policy to the Cabinet Office
Prime minister Boris Johnson has taken away responsibility for the government use of data from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and given it to the Cabinet Office Continue Reading
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News
22 Jul 2020
New opportunities for Nordic startups post-Covid-19 as virtual offices become the norm
As companies adjust to digital office life in the pandemic era, a host of Nordic startups are already helping them convert these short-term fixes into long-term strategy Continue Reading
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News
21 Jul 2020
CDEI calls for ‘step change’ in public sector data sharing
Public sector needs to change the way data is shared, clarify governance arrangements and work on building public trust and awareness, according to a Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation report Continue Reading
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News
20 Jul 2020
Covid-19 outbreak ramps up data focus at LOTI
The boroughs working in local government coalition LOTI are focusing on joining up and acting on data-driven insights to help communities through the crisis and beyond Continue Reading
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News
17 Jul 2020
How Australia is leading the charge in the Covid-19 fight
Researchers at the University of Queensland worked with IBM to develop a dashboard with machine-learning capabilities to analyse data for a global study on Covid-19 patients in intensive care Continue Reading
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News
16 Jul 2020
Loan charge: Government dashes hopes of revised down settlements for contractors
HMRC and HM Treasury confirm there are no plans to alter the loan charge settlement terms, despite calls from cross-party MPs to consider doing so Continue Reading
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News
16 Jul 2020
NHS to use forecasting tool to manage post-crisis Covid-19 spread
A forecasting tool based on machine learning is to be used by the NHS to identify Covid-19 hot spots and manage post-crisis spread Continue Reading
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News
16 Jul 2020
Russian state hackers attacking Covid-19 researchers
Kremlin-linked APT29 group, also known as Cozy Bear, is conducting a campaign against Covid-19 researchers around the world Continue Reading
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News
16 Jul 2020
IR35 private sector reforms: Government response to Finance Bill Sub-Committee inquiry slammed
Contracting stakeholders claim HMRC and HM Treasury are ‘burying their heads in the sand’ over impact IR35 reforms are set to have on the private sector Continue Reading
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News
16 Jul 2020
Gov.uk Verify sees surge during Covid-19 outbreak but remains unachievable
The government's flagship identity service and over half of the 26 major IT projects led by the government bear highest risks and are unlikely to be completed, according to the Infrastructure and Projects Authority. Continue Reading
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News
16 Jul 2020
Room for improvement in Dutch digital skills
The Netherlands has good telecommunications and IT networks that can be used safely and reliably, but there is room for improvement in digital skills among the Dutch Continue Reading
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News
15 Jul 2020
Huge declines in traditional outsourcing as Covid-19 puts a stop on deals
Traditional IT outsourcing deals value plummets in the last quarter as contracts dry up amid Covid-19 disruption Continue Reading
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News
13 Jul 2020
Majority of NHS trusts used analytics to track patient infection status during Covid-19 pandemic
Qlik research shows 84% of NHS trusts used data analytics to support patient care during the Covid-19 pandemic crisis, and suggests they could use that expertise to improve public health in the round Continue Reading
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News
09 Jul 2020
NHS North West London boosts analytics use during Covid-19 outbreak
A collaboration of NHS hospitals and health organisations in London is enhancing the use of data to improve their response to coronavirus Continue Reading
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News
09 Jul 2020
NHS trust uses case management software to deliver time savings
To deal with inefficient and unreliable processes, East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Trust has implemented a case management system specifically designed for HR practitioners Continue Reading
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Opinion
09 Jul 2020
The pandemic has made UK government rethink its relationship with data
Data has been essential to fighting the coronavirus outbreak, and the forthcoming National Data Strategy promises to place data at the heart of the UK's economic recovery Continue Reading
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News
09 Jul 2020
Matt Hancock encourages private sector involvement in post-pandemic NHS technology
Health secretary Matt Hancock has outlined how the NHS will continue to leverage digital technologies with the help of the private sector after the Covid-19 pandemic ends Continue Reading
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News
08 Jul 2020
Use of spyware apps linked to domestic abuse soars in lockdown
The rise in domestic violence during the pandemic has been linked to increase use of stalkerware apps by abusers Continue Reading
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Feature
07 Jul 2020
Auditing for algorithmic discrimination
Despite the abundance of decision-making algorithms with social impacts, many companies are not conducting specific audits for bias and discrimination that can help mitigate their potentially negative consequences Continue Reading
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News
03 Jul 2020
DWP publishes digital delivery results and cost of IT blunders
DWP released a number of updates of its digital transformation work including several initiatives relating to the Covid-19 outbreak, and reported more than £10m sunk in failed IT projects Continue Reading
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News
03 Jul 2020
Government to fund diagnostic health tech projects
Six health projects across the UK, using technologies to detect chronic and terminal illnesses, will be given £13m in funding by the government, while £3m will come from Cancer Research UK Continue Reading
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News
01 Jul 2020
UK government announces Office for Talent
The Office for Talent is part of a research and development roadmap, which includes an innovation programme to accelerate innovation in government Continue Reading
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News
30 Jun 2020
Genomics England taps up AWS and Lifebit to create cloud-based Covid-19 research environment
Genomics England is looking to open up collaboration on Covid-19 genome datasets with researchers across the globe with new cloud-based research environment, which will be based on AWS and Lifebit’s technologies Continue Reading
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News
29 Jun 2020
MPs urged to back Finance Bill amendments to loan charge policy
Loan Charge Action Group urges its members to ask their MPs to support an amendment to the controversial loan charge policy that could see more people fall outside its scope Continue Reading
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News
29 Jun 2020
UKCloud signs MoU with CCS to provide public sector with discounted cloud pricing
Public sector-focused IaaS firm UKCloud has become the latest supplier to sign a discounted pricing deal with the UK government Continue Reading
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News
25 Jun 2020
NHSX seeks evolution of digital transformation capabilities
New approaches and team structures could be tested as a result of learnings from the work around Covid-19 Continue Reading
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News
22 Jun 2020
Care Quality Commission to discuss concerns over Paula Vennells’ NHS role
Healthcare regulator will be discussing concerns about former NHS boss chairing an NHS trust at an upcoming meeting Continue Reading
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Blog Post
18 Jun 2020
Why not collaborate on an international contact-tracing app? (Well, we know why the UK won't...)
To the surprise of nobody, the government has reversed its plans for the NHS contact-tracing app, switching from its initial centralised model to the decentralised version supported by Google and ... Continue Reading
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News
18 Jun 2020
Survey finds 30% of people let down by public-sector tech during pandemic
ThoughtWorks research highlights problems around remote schooling, local government and GP services Continue Reading
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News
18 Jun 2020
Kent and Medway CCG deploys digital Covid-19 dashboard
Dashboard gives NHS staff information on ventilator bed usage, available personal protective equipment and the number of staff infected by Covid-19 Continue Reading
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News
17 Jun 2020
Amnesty identifies most privacy-invasive Covid-19 contact-tracing apps
Bahrain’s ‘BeAware Bahrain’, Kuwait’s ‘Shlonik’ and Norway’s ‘Smittestopp’ are the most privacy-invasive contact-tracing apps, reveals Amnesty International study Continue Reading
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News
16 Jun 2020
NHS Digital seeks suppliers for Covid-19 testing service
The NHS Digital tender aims to find a partner to handle the development, delivery and running of the coronavirus testing service Continue Reading
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News
15 Jun 2020
NHS signs countrywide deal with Microsoft
‘Landmark’ IT deal will see NHS organisations in England get access to all Microsoft 365 services, including Teams and Office 365, and strengthen cyber security measures Continue Reading
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News
12 Jun 2020
Hospital uses thermal surveillance cameras to protect patients against second wave of Covid-19
A North Midlands NHS trust claims to be the first NHS trust to deploy thermal surveillance cameras to protect patients and staff against the coronavirus Continue Reading
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News
12 Jun 2020
NHS email service users ensnared in phishing attack
More than 100 accounts on the NHSmail service were affected by attack, but health service says no patient data was accessed Continue Reading
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News
12 Jun 2020
UK to boost data science efforts in citizen services
Government Digital Service launches Data Labs to enhance services with tools such as artificial intelligence and natural language processing Continue Reading
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News
11 Jun 2020
Tech firms respond to Nordic government calls
Nordic firms are working with tech suppliers to help them get back up and running after Covid-19 Continue Reading
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News
11 Jun 2020
Government lays out future trade plan for UK tech
Measures aim to create jobs and increase technology exports, as well as encouraging international investments into the UK Continue Reading
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News
11 Jun 2020
North Staffordshire NHS trust rolls out mental health platform for young people
Digital portal enables young people to self-refer to local mental health services, giving them easier access to support and reducing waiting times Continue Reading
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News
11 Jun 2020
NHS England launches online tools for diabetes
People with type 1 or type 2 diabetes will have access to three new online services to help manage their condition at home Continue Reading
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News
10 Jun 2020
UK tech professionals feel impact of lockdown easing
Mental health concerns increase, with a possible negative effect on the quality of work, as companies get ready to return to the office, study shows Continue Reading
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News
10 Jun 2020
CogX 2020: Matt Hancock on tech during Covid-19
Health secretary Matt Hancock says technology companies have been vital in dealing with the pandemic, and praises UK for testing more people “than almost anywhere in the world.” Continue Reading
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News
10 Jun 2020
CogX 2020: Rethinking technological innovation
Innovation processes and relationships must be fundamentally restructured to bring in more stakeholders, and spread the benefits of technological change as far as possible Continue Reading
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News
10 Jun 2020
Virtual GP practice accidentally exposes patient video calls
A small number of users of Babylon’s GP at Hand service were briefly able to view other patients’ video GP consultations thanks to a bug in a new software feature Continue Reading
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News
10 Jun 2020
6G, European internet, censorship: EU Parliament sets out vision for digital services
Research outlines trends for the coming decade and an action plan with some controversial recommendations to inform the decisions of policymakers around the upcoming Digital Services Act Continue Reading
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News
09 Jun 2020
Covid-19 global co-ordination is off the mark, Tony Blair tells CogX
Former UK prime minister, now head of a global institute that advises governments, tells CogX attendees that global co-ordination to combat Covid-19 is far from where it needs to be Continue Reading
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News
09 Jun 2020
Government publishes artificial intelligence procurement guidance
A document has been published outlining the challenges for public sector buyers as well as best practices on procuring AI technology Continue Reading
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Feature
08 Jun 2020
Accurate data in, better insights out
The coronavirus pandemic has propelled data into the headlines, but it has also shown the challenges of dealing with incomplete datasets Continue Reading
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News
08 Jun 2020
Cystic fibrosis and Covid-19 patients get tech to monitor condition at home
NHS at Home programme sees cystic fibrosis patients given home spirometers and coronavirus patients given oximeters, together with an app, to monitor their condition from home and share information with clinicians Continue Reading
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News
05 Jun 2020
NHS Covid-19 datastore contracts published under pressure from privacy groups
The government has published the contracts with Palantir, Faculty, Microsoft and Google for the controversial NHS datastore ahead of court proceedings initiated by civil liberties organisation OpenDemocracy Continue Reading
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News
05 Jun 2020
Businesses develop apps quickly to manage disruption of Covid-19
Healthcare companies, insurers, government agencies and big tech companies have used technology from Pegasystems to develop apps to manage the disruption caused by coronavirus Continue Reading
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News
05 Jun 2020
London Tech Week to go ahead through Zoom
London Tech week will go ahead next week, with the tech industry attending through Zoom Continue Reading
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News
04 Jun 2020
Dutch organisations invest heavily in compliance – but in vain
Despite the fact that companies in the Netherlands have invested heavily to comply with GDPR legislation introduced two years ago, 90% of them are still discovering fundamental weaknesses in their IT environment Continue Reading
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News
04 Jun 2020
OVHcloud brings healthcare-focused private cloud offering to UK market
French infrastructure-as-a-service provider OVHcloud is making its sector-specific portfolio of private cloud and bare metal services available to UK-based healthcare providers Continue Reading
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News
03 Jun 2020
Security procurement framework goes live for NHS and public sector
Cyber Security Services Framework, developed by NHS Shared Business Services, has formally launched Continue Reading
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News
03 Jun 2020
How Teams and Office 365 connect NHS staff during the lockdown
NHS’s AGEM Commissioning Support Unit has migrated from on-premise SharePoint to Office 365 and is now using Teams Continue Reading
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News
02 Jun 2020
Covid-19 pandemic accelerates work on NHS App
The coronavirus health crisis has sped up work to integrate online consultations in the NHS App, exceeding roll-out targets and driving uptake Continue Reading
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News
01 Jun 2020
Employees must be consulted on technologies monitoring the return to work
Experts say the workforce must be ‘in the room’ and given a meaningful say about technologies introduced to monitor their return to work following the Covid-19 pandemic Continue Reading
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News
01 Jun 2020
How Saudi Arabia is using cloud to navigate the Covid-19 downturn
Organisations in Saudi Arabia are using cloud computing services to help them navigate challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic Continue Reading
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News
01 Jun 2020
Councils don't have a consistent view of cyber security, says report
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government releases findings around security perceptions of local authorities Continue Reading
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News
29 May 2020
Test and Trace has not passed data protection impact assessment
Public Health England failed to complete the required impact assessment before launching the Covid-19 Test and Trace programme Continue Reading
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News
29 May 2020
UK to join Covid-19 High-Performance Computing consortium
UK becomes first country outside the US to join group enabling researchers and scientists to access top supercomputers to help their work on the coronavirus Continue Reading
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News
28 May 2020
UK government seeks innovations to tackle space debris
Organisations developing solutions in space surveillance and tracking will be able to bid for a share of a £1m funding pot Continue Reading
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News
27 May 2020
BCS calls for computer coding in scientific research to be more professional
BCS position paper finds the software coding practices of non-computer-science scientists to be insufficiently professional Continue Reading
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News
27 May 2020
Hospital uses robots to manage air supply to patients
Northampton General Hospital deploys automation to ensure oxygen is always available as demand increases amid Covid-19 crisis Continue Reading
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News
21 May 2020
Cheshire deploys digital child health system during lockdown
Commissioning support unit joins up records of children across county into one integrated digital system, despite pandemic challenges Continue Reading
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News
21 May 2020
Coronavirus: Dutch work on XR technology shows promise in pandemic scenario
Netherlands leads the way in the development of extended reality technology, which could prove its value in a crisis such as Covid-19 Continue Reading
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News
20 May 2020
Government eyes virtual reality projects with new funding
Investment increases in competition aimed at fast-tracking development of innovations arising from the coronavirus crisis Continue Reading
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News
20 May 2020
Coronavirus: NHSX enlists military innovation hub for Covid-19 app project
Organisations will work together to gather and share coronavirus symptom data from third-party tracker apps Continue Reading
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Podcast
19 May 2020
Covid-19 contact-tracing apps under review – The Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast
In this week’s episode of the Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast, Caroline Donnelly and Brian McKenna are joined by networking editor Joe O’Halloran to discuss the government’s Covid-19 contact-tracing app. They also discuss the design of software for older people Continue Reading
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News
19 May 2020
NHS trusts sign up to automation app store
Healthcare trusts extend relationships with automation supplier through access to a cloud-based marketplace of pre-baked automation Continue Reading
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News
19 May 2020
Innovate UK seeks ways to transform aviation with technology
Projects to develop new forms of air transportation can get a share of up to £30m in funding from Innovate UK Continue Reading
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E-Zine
19 May 2020
Ocado makes the friendly workplace robot a reality
In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out how Ocado is making robot-human collaboration a reality with its Armar-6 smart robot. Unified communications has become a must-have lockdown capability – we assess the key technologies. And as contact-tracing apps emerge to help deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, we examine the data privacy challenges. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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News
18 May 2020
Privacy advocates demand clarity over Covid-19 datastore
Government and NHS face questions about the involvement of private technology companies with coronavirus datastore Continue Reading
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News
18 May 2020
NHS Scotland begins contact-tracing tech pilot
Three Scottish health boards are trialling coronavirus contact-tracing software which will be rolled out across the country at the end of this month Continue Reading
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News
18 May 2020
NHS looks for remote monitoring tech
NHSX is seeking suppliers to help scale up remote monitoring across the health service in England, particularly for Covid-19 patients, and will go out to tender shortly Continue Reading
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News
15 May 2020
Interview: Bev White, chief executive, Harvey Nash
The Harvey Nash executive talks about recruitment during the coronavirus crisis, a new wave of interest in outsourcing, and leadership skills and challenges Continue Reading
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Blog Post
15 May 2020
Contact-tracing app tests on the Isle of Wight show that technology is not the solution
The NHSX contact-tracing app has been in live testing on the Isle of Wight for over a week now, and already we can make one important conclusion – a conclusion that was surely self-evident anyway. ... Continue Reading
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News
15 May 2020
Royal Berkshire NHS Trust uses AI to speed up stroke treatment
Trust has deployed an artificial intelligence app to help read and interpret scans so that clinicians can treat stroke patients better and more quickly Continue Reading