Healthcare in Thoughts from the Centre
How digital technology is changing healthcare: A physiotherapists perspective
By Dylan Powell, Research Analyst, Deloitte
Since its inception in 1948, the National Health Service (NHS) has transformed and evolved to be one of the biggest employers globally (1.5 million employees).1 However, despite this, over the past 22 months of the pandemic has had a significant impact on many aspects of healthcare delivery and exposed the limitations and fragility of the current volume-based healthcare system. It is a system that is struggling to meet the increasing demand and expectations of society, government, staff and most importantly patients. One of the most visible outcomes of this struggle is the increase in waiting times for both emergency treatment and elective surgery. Today, an estimated 5.6 million people are waiting for routine elective procedures, a number that is expected to grow to some 13 million people in a few years unless new ways of working are adopted.2 This week’s blog, by our new analyst Dylan Powell, considers how the use of digital technology and a more preventative self-management model is changing physiotherapy and could help to manage healthcare pressures effectively.
The Future of Public Health: Bridging the gap
By Karen Taylor and Samrina Bhatti, Deloitte Centre for Health Solutions
This week, we launched the third report in our future of public health series, Bridging the gap: Protecting the nation from public health threats. Health protection requires targeted and cross‑functional approaches to tackle multiple, diverse and challenging public health threats. These threats need to be managed in an optimal way to reduce health inequalities, avoidable disability and premature death. Our ‘Bridging the gap’ report examines the UK’s policies and approaches to health protection. The pandemic has, however, exposed critical gaps in the health protection system, including workforce and funding shortages, a lack of surveillance capacity, and fragmented and unclear accountabilities. This week’s blog discusses the challenges pre-COVID-19, the impact of the pandemic and what the future might hold, based on key findings in our third public health report.
Reducing health inequalities and improving access to medicine through access and affordability programmes
By Elizabeth Hampson, Director Monitor Deloitte
Today, over a quarter of the world’s population has no access to essential medicines and, for more than two billion people worldwide, medicines may be unaffordable, unavailable, inaccessible or non-quality assured.1 2 With statistics this stark, and the increased awareness (due to the COVID-19 pandemic) of the impact of both global and national health inequalities on health outcomes, there is a need for much better awareness and more targeted action to improve access to medicine for all.
Exploring the future of diagnostics in the UK
By Aiden Hannah, Research Analyst, Deloitte
In November 2020 our report, ‘The future unmasked: Predicting the future of healthcare and life sciences in 2025’ included a prediction that technological breakthroughs would create new diagnostic pathways, enabling clinicians to deliver hyper-personalised evidence-based prevention and treatment interventions.1 Over the past year the pandemic has continued to have a significant impact upon the healthcare industry, in particular the diagnostics industry. This week’s blog, by our new analyst Aiden Hannah, considers the lasting impact of some of these changes and what the diagnostics landscape may look like in the future.
Healthcare regulation in England is changing: how should ICSs and ICBs respond?
By Matt Quinn, Manager and Dan Donaghy, Director, UK Public Sector Enterprise Operations team
The impending establishment of Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) as statutory entities from April 2022 means that regulators are adapting their regulatory models. This is to ensure a proportionate response for a ‘Systems’ based world. This also heralds a period of flux for health and social care regulation in England at a time of unprecedented demand and operational pressure precipitated by the pandemic. Health and social care organisations will need to respond to this new regulatory regime and change their operating models to ensure their leadership, financial, safety and quality performance meet regulatory expectations. In this blog, we discuss some suggested areas of change informed by our recent work in the area.
The Future of Public Health: Identifying the gap
By Karen Taylor and Samrina Bhatti, Deloitte Centre for Health Solutions
On 9 November, we launched the second in our future of public health report series, Identifying the gap; Understanding the drivers of inequality in public health. This report examines the who what and why of public health and the political social and economic drivers affecting public health. It also explains why learning the lessons from the past, including the lessons learned in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, is crucial if the UK is to avoid repeating past mistakes and their reforms of the public health system are to be effective. This week’s blog explores the historical and current challenges and approaches being taken to tackle the ‘wicked problems’ affecting public health.
Movember 2021: Grow a 'mo’ to save a ‘bro’ - raising awareness for men’s health
By Andy Haywood, Campaign Account Manager, Deloitte
Movember is upon us, marked by the emergence of upper-lip fuzz on men across the world. Since 2003, the Movember Foundation’s unrelenting goal has been to raise awareness of men’s health issues, with a particular focus on prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental health and suicide prevention. Movember also seeks to challenge the status quo, shake up men’s health research and transform the way health services reach and support men. During the month formerly known as November, Mo Bros and Mo Sisters around the world rally in support of the cause to get people talking about these vital health issues. This week’s blog is my contribution to raising awareness, hoping to encourage my friends, family and colleagues to talk to the men in their lives about their health.
COP26 – Our hopes for a healthier, collaborative, interconnected future
By Giles Dean, Sustainability Manager, and James Gregson, Partner, UK Life Sciences and Healthcare leader
The research evidence is unequivocal, public, planetary and economic health are inextricably linked and no continent, country or community is immune from the impacts of climate change. The race to net zero is also a race to a healthier, cleaner and more resilient future. We hope that the undeniable link between improving the health outcomes of society and a successful net-zero transition will be central to COP26. This blog outlines a discussion between Giles Dean, Sustainability Manager at Deloitte UK, and James Gregson, Partner and UK Life Sciences and Healthcare leader, on their hopes for COP26 and the implications for healthcare and, specifically the pharmaceutical (pharma) industry, across not just environmental, but also social and governance (ESG) indicators.1
The Future of Public Health: Narrowing the gap
By Karen Taylor and Samrina Bhatti, Deloitte Centre for Health Solutions
Over the past seven months, we have been developing a series of reports examining the current challenges and future requirements for a resilient public health system in the UK. This week we launched the first report in the series, Narrowing the gap: A fairer and sustainable future for public health.1 This report is an executive overview highlighting the key findings from a series of deep dive reports into the crucial challenges facing public health. This week’s blog provides highlights from our overview report and a taster of what to expect from our report series which we will launch over the next few weeks.
Baby Loss Awareness Week 2021: a personal perspective
By Elizabeth Hampson, Director, Monitor Deloitte
Last week, from 9th to 15th October 2021, it was Baby Loss Awareness Week (BLAW), which is now in its 19th year.1 The objective of BLAW is to raise awareness nationally about those who have been affected by pregnancy and experienced baby loss in the UK. This year’s theme is Wellbeing and throughout the week bereaved parents and their families and friends unite with others across the world to commemorate the lives of babies lost. In this week’s blog, our colleague Liz Hampson shares her personal experience with baby loss with the aim of increasing transparency and the support provided by employers.