As part of the Welsh Government’s draft 2021-22 Budget, digital services across the NHS have received an additional £25m investment to help the NHS continue to move forward with digitisation of its services.
The announced funding boost is aimed at supporting the response to the coronavirus pandemic, including contact tracing and the vaccination programme, as well as the rollout of new video consultations and remote working in the NHS.
Used to speed up the use of digital ways of working, the £25m funding will help the NHS and social services adopt new technologies to improve services.
It will also support the transformation of digital systems in hospitals, the ambulance service and social care sector, as well as enable continued targeted funding for vital services such as intensive care, cancer and eye care.
Welsh Minister for Health and Social Services, Vaughan Gething, said: “Stepping up our digital investment at this pace and scale alongside our response to the pandemic and other pressures has been a challenge but it is a priority.
“The additional funding announced today will help us to invest in mobile devices, remote working and video consultation, and accelerate other strategic transformation projects.”
Remote working and video consultation technology have enabled NHS services to continue throughout the pandemic, reducing the need for face-to-face contact.
One service which has benefitted from this new way of working has been children’s speech therapy. Through online video consultations, healthcare professionals have been able to continue to safely deliver the services from home, despite the pandemic.
As we continue to face the challenges of this evolving pandemic the Welsh Government will be working closely with digital leaders across NHS Wales to identify existing programmes that can be accelerated thanks to these additional funds.
The extra funding will help to deliver a £175m investment in strategic digital transformation between September 2019 and March 2022.
