The NHS is at a pivotal point in its history. For more than 75 years it has provided free, accessible and world-leading healthcare to people across the country, shaping modern medicine, and becoming one of the UK’s most cherished national institutions in the process.

And yet, the 21^st Century has brought enormous change. The evolution of the internet and advent of the smartphone have transformed the way consumers interact with organisations, and each other, and while much of society has embraced this new digital age, the NHS has been slower to adapt.

Talk to anyone – inside or outside the service – and you’ll hear opinions on why. From funding to pandemic backlogs, cultural hurdles to its sheer size (the NHS is the world’s largest single health system, and sixth largest employer); change in such conditions is always going to be challenging. Nevertheless, it’s understandable that people feel frustrated at how slow things are moving, especially when lives are at stake.

BT has been a trusted partner of the NHS since day one and is committed to helping it navigate technology and embrace the potential it brings. I am also passionate about the NHS, having spent more than 20 years in the service, including senior regulator, provider and commissioner roles. It’s this background, and my belief that technology has a major role to play in shaping its future, which led to BT  launching a major research programme last year, speaking to patients, to NHS staff, and now, to leading minds from across healthcare, policy and business, to understand what’s standing in the way of progress, and how we can collectively do something about it.

Our roundtable was co-hosted by Anu Anand, BBC journalist and podcaster, and myself, and attended by Dr. Paul Bhogal (Consultant Interventional Neuroradiologist), Dr. Michael Quinn (Consultant in Nephrology and Acute Medicine), Rachel Murphy (entrepreneur, health tech advisor and public speaker), Dr. Franz Pfister (CEO & Co-Founder of deepc), Bryce Travers (Digital Lead at ImageEast) and Dr. Amrita Kumar (Consultant Radiologist). It was a rich and rewarding debate; here’s what we agreed on.

Barriers to tech transformation

With many pilots in place at any one time, the NHS is no stranger to trialling with technology. We’re working with it today to introduce electronic patient records and AI-powered communication platforms, such as Diagnostics AI Marketplace, Patient Concierge, Smart Messaging, and Heath Cloud, but too often attempts to introduce modern technology hit hurdles. What exactly did the experts point to as standing in the way?

• Lack of incentives for innovation – responsibility for finding, proposing, testing and championing new technology all too often falls on clinical staff, who are already incredibly busy providing care for their patients.
• A fragmented NHS structure – add to this the fragmented and disjointed structure of NHS trusts and you have a world where no single group of people are incentivised to drive technological transformation in the NHS.
• Short-termism – pressure to address growing waiting lists and plug staffing shortfalls are preventing senior NHS leaders from exploring the long-term solutions that could address these problems more sustainably. As trusts across the country grapple with increasing demands for care with current resources, the NHS needs to find time to build an actionable vision for technology that can support staff in their day-to-day roles.
• Patient journeys are not ready to be digitised – improving the way each patient journey is managed is essential to ensure appropriate care is offered throughout. Patients often don’t have access to their own health data, and records are rarely compatible to be shared either externally or within different healthcare units within the NHS (i.e. GP surgeries, hospitals, specialist clinics, etc.) A platform that is interoperable and that contains all patient data, harmonised to support transfers in between healthcare providers, is crucial. 
• Lack of trust in tech – with the recent explosion in the data economy, stories documenting breaches have created an overall sense of fear and distrust in emerging technologies. The successful adoption of new technologies relies on the NHS's ability to prove how patients benefit from these innovations and alleviate concerns about their data being compromised, misused, or sold off to nefarious third parties.

Digital health: Five priorities for this year

Our roundtable revealed incredible examples of how technology can transform the way patients receive care across the UK and improve the NHS’ productivity – from using AI to help detect suspected abnormalities in breast and chest X-rays, to developing pioneering solutions for early detection of stroke-like symptoms that cut down patient journeys in half.

However, none of these innovations can be scaled to help more patients without a true digital revolution in our healthcare system. Indeed, technology can provide solutions to many of the challenges the NHS is currently faced with, however a true culture shift is required to jumpstart the acceleration of digital health. Drawing from experiences working with or within the NHS, our conversation coalesced at a five-point plan to enable positive change.

1.     Build platforms to scale – once a new technology implemented in a trust has proven to enhance patient care, other NHS bodies should be able to access a governance structure that allows them to implement the same framework across multiple trusts. Quick and easy scalability is the key to ensuring successful pilots are implemented regionally, improving outcomes for both patients and the NHS.

2.     Modernise data infrastructure – harmonisation of data is key to ensuring GPs, primary and secondary care providers are aligned on patient journeys, helping reach the right treatment plans faster. Mandated contracts with trusted technology partners would help trusts implement solutions specific to their needs, while also allowing them to organise and share data in a format that encourages interoperability and communication between other trusts.

3.     National leadership, local delivery – there is a real case for moving certain roles responsible for designing governance frameworks for technological adoption to the frontline of the digital revolution. Similarly, implementing and leveraging vanguards across trusts will allow those who have been successful in implementing technological innovations in their trust to share their framework and support adoption across other regions.

4.     Better communication – there is a real opportunity for the NHS to share more about its technology use and how it improves outcomes for staff and patients alike. The NHS does manage incredibly sensitive patient data, so there needs to be safeguards in place to continue building trust that it is kept safe. However, these should not hinder communications or the implementation of technology – why it is necessary, how it works and, most importantly, why it will benefit patients in the long term.

5.     Shift mindsets to move faster – the pandemic showed us how quickly trusts can respond to crisis and enact change. We must reflect on the key learnings and success stories from the NHS’s Covid-19 response and carry on the proactive, can-do attitude that saw many new policies implemented at pace and efficiently, throughout the country.

Implementing change at scale – especially while pushing for a culture change – can be a slow process. We know how important it is for each step of the NHS’s digital transformation to be carefully considered from all angles, to put patients’ best interests at the heart of each decision. Yet as the world heads from one digital revolution to the next, with new technologies like AI unlocking opportunities never before possible, it’s time for the NHS to leapfrog ahead and lean on trusted partners to help build the digital health future the country deserves.

The new network will provide secure and reliable connectivity for BGC sites across multiple locations (gas fields, processing plants and offices). It will also provide enhanced connectivity to hyperscalers and delivery of cloud-based applications such as Microsoft 365 and SAP.

This new high-performance, secure network will lay the foundation for BGC’s goal of a future proof, cloud-enabled secure infrastructure in the coming years.

Andrew Wiper, Managing Director of BGC said: “Collaborating with BT is an important milestone for BGC. In forging this alliance, we propel BGC towards global excellence. The bedrock of our operations lies in robust and efficient connectivity, and this contract reinforces our commitment to efficiency and safety.”

Eyad Shihabi, Managing Director, Global Industries and Government, Business, BT said: “We’re very proud of our relationship with JV BGC. This partnership represents a new chapter in this relationship by delivering the high standards of quality and reliability of services directly to BGC in Iraq.”

BT today announced a new era in its partnership with ServiceNow, the leading digital workflow company that makes the world work better for everyone, with plans to launch a turnkey, contact-centre-as-a-service (CCaaS) package integrating digital workflows, global communications and a cloud-hosted contact centre platform.

It is being developed in response to demand from customers to simplify and accelerate digitalisation of their contact centres and workflows. Digitalisation, including the move of contact centre systems into the cloud, offers more flexible and responsive user experiences for both customers and agents. It also helps reduce costs, boost productivity and enables new service innovations and compliance tools.

It will be delivered and managed by BT and ServiceNow to help customers create fully digital, comms-enabled workflows without having to engage multiple partners. It combines ServiceNow’s powerful Now Platform capabilities with BT’s Global Voice network, integrated into a choice of tools, such as call recording, and a leading CCaaS platform.

The partners have already deployed this with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, with the support of the United Nations International Computing Centre (UNICC). They will now offer it to organisations around the world, including domestic business and public sector customers in the UK.

It marks the latest step in the BT and ServiceNow ongoing partnership. Announced in 2022, the collaboration will allow ServiceNow to partner with BT Group’s Digital unit to modernise service management Group-wide. This will help BT Group create an AI-powered, self-healing digital infrastructure for its business operations.

“Integrating comms into the workflow and case management simplifies compliance processes, makes colleagues more efficient and gives a better experience to everyone,” said Andrew Small, director of voice and digital work, Business, BT. “Our new package in partnership with ServiceNow will create a compelling pathway for customers looking to move to the cloud and achieve all the benefits digital transformation has to offer.”

Chris Bedi, chief digital information officer, ServiceNow, added: “Customers are increasingly looking for turnkey options to remove complexity from cloud migration and workflows. The combination of our cloud‑based platform, with BT’s global network and communication expertise, will offer customers a unique opportunity to digitise and unify their organisations to be smarter and faster.”

ServiceNow, the ServiceNow logo, Now, Now Platform, and other ServiceNow marks are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of ServiceNow, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. 

At the heart of our strategy is to be a better, more modern BT and we are on a charge to evolve from traditional telco to a technology company, while also enabling businesses and the public sector to make the same leap.

And that’s what is front and centre for us in Division X – to be the best digital transformation partner, helping our business and public sector customers take advantage of a digitally enabled future. That includes delivering quantifiable business outcomes for customers, and leading end-point solutions to improve productivity, optimise operations and drive cost savings, such as asset tracking, predictive maintenance, connected sensors, real-time data processing, automation, and robotics.

Managing these transformations is increasingly complex, and sometimes quite niche, and so the need to ‘collaborate to innovate’ has never been greater.

But choosing the right partners is critical. You must look for complementary skills and assets that add value. It’s not simply a question of working well together, you have to collectively drive better business outcomes than any one of you could achieve alone.

So, for us to be the best for our customers, we need to have the best-in-class partnerships to meet, deliver and exceed their expectations. 

And it’s something we are taking seriously at BT. We already have world class research and development functions and rich network experience and are actively engaged with many businesses today who are grappling with making the shift to a digital future. An example of this is reflected in our work with Belfast Harbour and the Port of Tyne, where we are deploying private 5G networks to help them revolutionise their processes, track assets, and understand how sustainable and productive their operations can be. Also, our partnership with Hyperbat in developing the world’s first 5G Virtual Reality Digital Twin solution is helping to accelerate the manufacturing process for electric vehicle batteries; and our innovative 5G trial with the BBC at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham this summer also demonstrated the potential for a portable 5G network to transform broadcasting for live events.

None of the above would have been possible without the support of multiple partners, and so we made the decision earlier this year, as part of our BT Means Business Enterprise Customer Charter to create a more structured partnership engagement that would allow us to accelerate our ambitions and co-innovate in a more coordinated way.

Over the past number of months we have been talking to partners about the form this engagement should take and I’m delighted that this month, we launched our Partner Advisory Board (PAB), with the first wave of many partners joining the new collaboration.

The purpose of the PAB is for industry leading companies of all sizes to come together to discuss and share insights and best practices, to examine innovative propositions, and to debate potential solutions to current and future challenges that business leaders are encountering.

We held our first meeting this week where I was joined by Katherine Ainley (CEO UK & Ireland, Ericsson), Clay Van Doren (CEO Northern and Central Europe, Atos), Mike Grogan (Director Media & Communications Industry, Microsoft) and Warren Tucker (Partner and Head of Cloud & Digital, PwC) to set out the future roadmap.

Our aim as a group is to team up and accelerate the co-creation of digital solutions alongside our customers. This ranges from health, to logistics, transport and manufacturing.

BT has already launched a number of propositions in partnership with the founding members of the Board:

• Our Digital Vision partnership with Atos to provide customers with a powerful AI-based analytics tool to extract value from their digital images and videos,
• Our strategic alliance agreement with Microsoft to accelerate innovation across enterprise voice, cyber security and industry-focused services in sectors from digital manufacturing to health, setting businesses in the UK and around the world back to growth
• The first commercial 5G Private Network ‘off the shelf’ product with Ericsson offering the next generation mobile network technology products to businesses and organisations to enable new innovative applications and IoT capabilities.

And our partnership with PwC to inject deep industry insights – with an initial focus on transport and logistics and healthcare – together with cloud and digital transformation expertise to help organisations solve important problems such as productivity, asset tracking and sustainability.

But it’s not just about the UK’s large businesses and titans of the industry. Going forward, we’ll also champion the growth of UK tech start-ups and scale ups through this process, working with ETC, BT’s Digital Incubator team, to identify and nurture the best tech companies. Our ambition is to help increase digital technology adoption across multiple sectors and improve and increase the number of solutions we can offer to customers.

Over the coming months we plan to welcome even more business partners to the PAB. We’re looking forward to the exciting joint value this can bring, and, in turn, the opportunity we have to build and sustain partners of choice for our 5G, IoT, AI, infrastructure, security and future solutions.

At BT our purpose is to connect for good, and to do so in a way that is inclusive, responsible, and sustainable - our new Partner Advisory Board is no better example of this in action.

Powered by AI technology within Foresight Optima^TM from QiO Technologies, it combines the latest in machine learning with BT Edge Compute devices. Customers can also benefit from BT’s wider digital industries capabilities, including IoT, cloud and secure connectivity, in a single managed solution.

The new solution brings together real-time data from IoT sensors, machinery control settings, databases, external data and energy sources to identify the variables that can be optimised to reduce energy consumption, and can also help improve quality, productivity, and other relevant factors.

The resulting energy efficiency index (EEI) looks at past configurations of the process and compares them to see which were most energy efficient and why. It can also compare sites and equipment to look for best practices.

The solution is hosted on a BT Edge Compute device, which ensures data can be securely processed by the AI close to where it is created. BT securely connects the device to all relevant systems, hardware and assets to give total visibility of the process being measured. Connectivity options include private 5G.

QiO’s AI has been successfully deployed across a wide range of industries, including glass, steel, cement, automotive and others, delivering energy savings between 5-15 per cent. For example, QIO’s deployment at a leading glass manufacturer reduced energy consumption by six per cent and carbon emissions by 21,600 tonnes.

“I believe we have a very important role to play in addressing the climate crisis. By partnering with customers, we can help them achieve net zero carbon emissions,” said Hriday Ravindranath, Chief Product & Digital Officer, Global, BT.

“Data is key,” he added. “Too many organisations still gather carbon data manually, making reporting difficult and limiting its usefulness in improving operations. Our solution collects data securely, and by using QiO’s AI, recommends steps to optimise processes. Moreover, customers can use this data to report on their performance in a standardised way. It’s a great example of how we’re delivering on our Manifesto commitments and connecting for good.”

“Our partnership with BT will deliver the benefit of QiO Foresight Optima^TM to asset heavy and energy intensive industry to help meet sustainability and net zero goals,” said Rick Haythornthwaite, Chairman & Co-Founder, QiO Technologies. “Combined with BT’s industry knowledge and connectivity expertise, we can accelerate delivery of energy efficiency, carbon emissions reduction and cost savings for organisations globally.”

ENDS

About QiO

QiO Technologies is a Gartner Magic Quadrant Industrial IoT AI Software products company delivering Sustainability and Industry4.0 solutions for the industrial sector.

Since 2015, QiO has built a global track record with leading industrial companies by optimising their operations, reducing their energy costs and carbon emissions, delivering 5-15 per cent efficiency improvement, and expediting their sustainability agenda.

QiO’s solutions are available across multiple industries, including aerospace, automotive, steel, glass, cement, oil and gas, healthcare, data centers and shipping

For more information, visit www.qio.io

BT has been awarded a multi-million pound contract with leading housebuilder Avant Homes, supporting the digital transformation of its business during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

The partnership has already seen BT deploy new technology to allow agile working for Avant Homes' sales and customer service workforce during the last 12 months. The investment also allows the developer to further improve its customer journey for new reservations and viewings.

For the next phase of the partnership, BT is providing a cloud-based solution that simplifies the management and operations across Avant Homes’ five regional offices located in Scotland, North East, Yorkshire, and the Midlands, as well as its group head office operation and all development locations.

The solution includes 5G mobile access for all Avant Homes employees offering fast, reliable Internet. It uses EE’s Rapid Site technology to set up a virtual office or contact point from almost anywhere.

The managed service combines BT’s leading fixed network, with EE’s award-winning mobile network to deliver operational efficiencies for the housebuilder whilst empowering its employees with ultrafast connectivity on demand.

Peter Adams, Avant Homes group business systems and transformation director, said: “Our continued upwards trajectory and ambitious growth strategy requires the ongoing review of our processes and technology to ensure we are operating effectively at all levels.

“By implementing these new communication solutions, we can enable better ways of working and communicating internally and externally. The joined up digital system provided by BT means we can enhance our customers’ experience whether they are meeting with us at a development, on the telephone or via video call. Furthermore, using 5G mobile technology also allows our people to set up a virtual office from any development site or location, allowing more flexibility and convenience. We look forward to seeing the positive impact these new systems will have as we integrate them across the business.”

Based in Chesterfield, Avant Homes Group is one of the leading private developers of residential property in the UK. The company has a turnover of £446m and employs around 780 people.

The Avant Homes Group builds approximately 2,000 homes each year. It currently has 57 live developments across its five operating regions.

Roger Craven, North East, Yorkshire & Humber sales director for BT, said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has brought challenges for many businesses, even those in industries which have largely been able to continue to operate throughout lockdown periods and restrictions, such as the housing and construction sector. The need to invest in digital technology has never been greater as more work is carried out remotely and teams require secure access to information, contacts and systems from wherever they are.

“It’s hugely rewarding for BT to see its contribution to the digital transformation Avant Homes is making a real difference for their employees and customers.”