How can we drive up standards in our local (and national) health and social care sectors? Through better integration and by embracing new technologies.
For too long our area has suffered from a lack of properly joined up planning by a wide variety of bodies; and nowhere more so than in health and care. While important strides have been made to strengthen service integration in recent years (notably via the creation of the Norfolk and Waveney NHS Integrated Care Board, as well as the work being driven forward by Norfolk County Council), I believe we can, and should, go further.
That’s why, as part of my regular schedule of constituency visits, I was delighted to visit White’s Training in Watton this past Friday – meeting with Jack and the team to find out about the company’s pioneering work in the health and social care sector.
Formed in 2017, the company delivers innovative training to staff and companies working across health and social care – increasingly utilising VR products and other exciting technologies to develop new, more efficient methods of training.
The company has also been working tirelessly to develop a new AI software solution that could serve as a tool for digitalising these key sectors – seamlessly integrating and improving communication between the likes of patients, their families, care providers and the various levels of the NHS and in turn driving forward standards and efficiency. I was very impressed to see how far they’ve already come – as well as the enormous potential this technology has.
Having had a fifteen year career helping small companies in the health and care sectors before coming to Parliament, having previously served as a Health Minister (2014-16) with an interest in the digitalisation of our NHS, and now serving as Minister of State at the new Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, I know just how important a role technology must play if we are to deliver the more integrated and effective health and social care services we want to see. To see such work being driven forward right here in the heart of Mid Norfolk gives me much pleasure – and is yet another example of our area playing a key role in the Norfolk (and wider Eastern) Innovation Economy (see more here)
It was a pleasure to meet Jack and the team, and to find out more about incredible work they do. Next step for them: testing the software in real world scenarios – something I am keen to help support as they look to take this potentially transformative technology forward.
I will be staying in close contact with White’s Training and look forward to providing what support I can as a local constituency MP.
To find out more about my visit, please watch my video from White’s Training: here
