Labour has been making plenty of noise about bringing the NHS into the digital age—tweaking the NHS App, rolling out AI, and promising a streamlined, modern service. Wes Streeting has touted the plans to go from analogue to digital as a way to cut bureaucracy and make the health system fit for the 21st century. Sounds good…
Though given the NHS’s track record, whether it can actually handle the transition is another question. A TaxPayers’ Alliance FoI seen by Guido reveals that from 2021-2024, there have been a staggering 35,283 data breaches across 154 NHS Trusts, with 233,314 patients’ records accessed inappropriately. Though the NHS won’t say how much that set the taxpayer back…
Joanna Marchong of the TPA said:
“Taxpayers will be happy to see the NHS go digital but their track record will be cause for concern. Patients trust the NHS with private and confidential data, NHS bosses need to prioritise tightening up their security.”
Streeting might want to ask how the NHS can keep a lid on patient data as it stands before rolling out his digital revolution…
Former Treasury minister and adviser to Burnham in the Makerfield campaign Lord Jim O’Neill, who has turned down a role in his government, said Burnham’s first statement Commons was:
“The last thing investors wanted to hear… gilt yields have risen by a 0.25% in one day, which is a lot. We’ve not had that since Liz Truss days… If your country is under the focus of ‘can they come up with a sensible fiscal strategy’ on a day when the markets think ‘well no, you’re not showing any sign of it’ you’re going to have a tough day…if it stays like this your mortgage rate is going up.”