Services across the capital are leading the way in delivering the Government’s shift from analogue to digital healthcare, using technology to maximise clinical efficiency and provide better and more personalised care for patients.

The NHS in London is already making strides to deliver the 10 Year Health Plan to strengthen the health of the NHS for generations to come. Across London’s community and hospital settings, organisations are  using innovative technology to free up staff time and improve patient care.

Dame Caroline Clarke, Regional Director of the NHS in London, said: “We have a clear ambition in London to use digital technology to transform the way we deliver care, so it is encouraging to see so many of London’s NHS services already making significant progress in delivering the 10 Year Plan’s vision.

“As we shift our focus from analogue to digital, I’m proud that London is home to some of the most innovative services, pioneering new ways of using technology to deliver high quality and accessible care for everyone.”

Junction Pharmacy in Brixton is a prime example of cutting-edge technology improving the performance of NHS services in London.

Using robot automation for dispensing medication, pharmacists have more time to give patients face-to-face attention and on-the-day advice for a variety of issues, including sore throats and uncomplicated urinary tract infections.

Bhaveen Patel, Superintendent Pharmacist and Owner of Junction Pharmacy, said: “We have been here for just over 20 years now and more recently, we have invested in this robot. It has been a game-changer for us and works really well.

“It date checks everything, manages and puts away our stock for us and it cleans itself. It has helped us to streamline our workflow, so we have become more efficient, and our staff have more time to focus on their patient facing roles.”

This time-saving equipment has freed up pharmacists to deliver additional services, including immunisations and vaccinations on-site, as well as ear wax removal and weight management support. This helps to reduce GP and hospital waiting lists for these services and supports the 10 Year Plan’s other two shifts – from acute to community care, and from sickness to prevention.

Jon Hayhurst, Regional Chief Pharmacist for NHS England in London, said: “It has been fantastic to see this team delivering healthcare for the local community in their own neighbourhood. In a great example of innovation, the procurement of robotics has released capacity in the pharmacy team for the delivery of other valuable clinical services.

“These reduce pressure on other NHS services and support us with all three of the radical shifts we want to see in our delivery of the 10 Year Health Plan for London.”

See the pharmacy robot in action here.

Robot technology is also proving effective at King’s College Hospital where experts are using robot radiotherapy to improve treatment for debilitating eye disease.

Professor Timothy Jackson, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon and Professor of Retinal Research, said: “”With this purpose-built robotic system, we can be incredibly precise, using overlapping beams of radiation to treat a very small lesion in the back of the eye.

“Frequent hospital attendance and repeated eye injections isn’t something patients enjoy. By better stabilising the disease and reducing its activity, the new treatment could reduce the number of injections people need by about a quarter. Hopefully, this discovery will reduce the burden of treatment that patients have to endure.”

Not only does the robotically controlled device make the process less invasive, but fewer injections also saves the NHS, £565 for each patient treated over the first two years.

For more information on the shift from analogue to digital healthcare, read the full 10 Year Health Plan here.