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Our Digital Future


Healthier Lancashire and South Cumbria - Our Digital Future
Foreword
Morecambe Bay
Our shared 
principles
The way we manage our lives is changing. 86% of households now have 
internet access, 82% of people go online every day and 72% of adults 
use a smartphone1. It is now time to embrace this rapidly increasing 
Pennine
Lancashire
digitalised world and manage our own wel being, health and social care 
needs. With two thirds of visits to the NHS Choices website being on 
•  We will create digital solutions 
smartphones2, there are clear indications that a majority of our public are 
with the people who will be 
Fylde
ready to go online to understand and manage their health and care needs.
Coast
using them
Healthier Lancashire and South Cumbria is home to a growing population 
West
•  We will judge our progress 
of 1.7 mil ion people3. More of us are getting older and experiencing long-
Lancashire
against this digital strategy 
term health problems. Some of this disease could be avoided or the il -effects 
Central
from the public’s perspective
slowed down, if we took positive action. Using digital is one approach to help 
Lancashire
address the chal enges we al  face.
•  We will create an environment 
Accordingly, we have refreshed our digital strategy to put patients, 
that empowers our frontline
communities, and the public at the heart of our offer. To demonstrate 
Whilst we will continue 
our commitment to this, we will measure our success and impact from the 
•  We will use data to prevent, 
to respond to the 
perspective of the person – not the organisation, technological infrastructure 
predict and respond to  
specific needs of communities, 
or the needs of health and social care systems. This serves as a significant 
ill-health
providers and commissioners 
shift in our thinking and approach. 
alike, Healthier Lancashire 
and South Cumbria will take 
We know digital will not work for everybody. Some people struggle with 
•  We will work together to 
a unified aproach wherever it 
computers and not everybody has access to the internet. For those who 
reduce complexity in order to 
adds value, saves time  
would like to use digital but cannot, our aim will be to find ways to help them 
improve quality and safety
and delivers better  
get online. As our digital offer grows we hope people will find it easier and 
outcomes
more convenient to use online services, but technology will never replace the 
•  We will engage with 
care and compassion that comes from our dedicated workforce.
academia, industry and others 
This strategy outlines a set of shared principles aligned to five inter-connected 
to accelerate innovation
DR AMANDA DOYLE
themes. Our col ective effort will be focussed towards empowering people. 
GP and Chief Officer for Healthier 
Lancashire and South Cumbria
Dr. Sakthi Karunanithi
MBBS MD MPH FFPH
Chair of the  
Digital Health Board
References: 1 NHS Digital, NHS Digital Inclusion Guide – quoting from Ofcom (2016 figures). 2 NHS Digital, NHS Digital Inclusion 
Guide. 3 Based on the number of people registered with a GP in 2016/17, according to NHS England STP footprint analysis pack for 
Lancashire and South Cumbria 2017.
2
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Five inter-connected themes to improve our health 
and care in Lancashire and South Cumbria
PHARMACY
Support the 
Integrate
frontline
services
Empower the person
Manage 
Create  
the system 
the future
more effectively
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Healthier Lancashire and South Cumbria - Our Digital Future
The population 
What will this 
of Lancashire and 
South Cumbria is 
approximately
1 Empower the person
mean for the 
individual?
1.7 million
and increasing1
• 
Why
 I am able to access and add 
into my own electronic health 
care record, using it to manage 
In Lancashire and South 
my appointments and ‘health 
Cumbria, cardiovascular disease, 
The more I know about myself, my body and 
business’ online.
heart failure, hypertension 
(high blood pressure), asthma, 
the consequences of the choices I make, the 
•  I have access to good quality 
dementia and depression are
information to support me in 
more confident I will be in managing my health 
making decisions and managing 
above the 
and wellbeing
my health and wellbeing.
• 
national average2
 When I need services and 
support, there are a growing 
range of options available to me 
to access them remotely from 
About 
Hospital
wherever I need to.
•  I can use digital tools to help me 
1/3
to make changes where I need 
to and to monitor the impact of 
those changes on me, my family 
of people who go into A&E 
and my future.
departments could have 
been seen by their GP or 
•  I am confident my data is stored 
another community service3
securely and only shared when 
and where it is needed.
We will help people take 
control of their health and 
care, providing secure online 
access to clinicians, personalised 
Find a Service
How
Call
111
information, tools and advice
People are able 
My Notes
Reminders
COUNCILLOR SHAUN TAYLOR 
to use new health 
Chair of Lancashire Health and 
technology and 
Links
i
About Us
Wellbeing Board
apps to assist 
their own health 
References: 1 Based on the number of people registered with a  
GP in 2016/17, according to NHS England, STP footprint analysis pack 
and wellbeing.
Lancashire and South Cumbria, Five Year Forward View 2016.  
2 & 3 Information from Health and Social Care Information Centre, 
2015, Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) 2014-15.
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Healthier Lancashire and South Cumbria - Our Digital Future
What will this 
There is both a workforce and a financial 
gap, so something needs to change
mean for our 
2 Support the frontline
staff?
The cost of 
funding our 
• 
staff has 
 I feel confident and enthusiastic 
Why
in using new digital solutions to 
increased
help empower people to manage 
their own health and wellbeing
since 2012 the NHS pay bill is £3.7bn larger in real 
terms, with 40,000 more clinical staff employed1
I want to be ready, able and supported to 
•  I can support people to manage 
and coordinate their own 
improve the person’s experience and free up my 
We need 
care with me and share our 
time to use my skills for the good of the people I 
experiences through the care 
to work on 
record. 
am caring for
• 
retaining 
 I have been afforded the time to 
innovate and to develop my skills 
our staff
and confidence in using digital 
solutions.
as an example, the rate of nurses leaving the NHS 
grew from 7.1% to 8.7% between 2012 and 20172. 
PHARMACY
•  I have access to information 
If we do not reduce demand, change services or 
necessary to do my job and 
increase productivity, the NHS will need 190,000 more 
I collect and use data as a 
staff by 20273
fundamental part of my role in 
caring for the person, family or 
Across Lancashire and South Cumbria there are 
community that I work with.
41,230 people4 working in health, 46,000 people5 
• 
employed in social care and a wealth of people across 
 I can interact with others 
the region that help support communities with health 
supporting those I care for, 
and care such as voluntary, community, faith, charity 
regardless of location, using 
and housing organisations
a number of digital tools and 
methods.
94% of staff
have said that the potential of a digital 
ready workforce would make a large 
improvement to health and care 6
Talent remains key, but 
digital technology will help 
fill the gap
References: * 1 & 2 Public Health England, Facing the Facts, 
Shaping the Future (draft workforce strategy). 3 Health 
Education England. 4 WRaPT. 5 Skills for Care 2016/17. 6 Health 
DR AMANDA THORNTON 
Education England, working in partnership with NHS Digital 
and NHS England, commissioned Clever Together a three-week 
Digital Health Clinical Lead
national online workshop to explore the needs and experiences 
Healthier Lancashire and South Cumbria
of people working in the system who have digital expertise.
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Healthier Lancashire and South Cumbria - Our Digital Future
There are more than 
200 GP 
practices1
3 Integrate services
NHS Trusts
provide hospital, mental health, 
ambulance and health and 
Why
wel being services across the 
region
Every time we offer care, we learn more 
What will this 
Clinical 
about the person and their needs. By sharing our 
mean for our 
Commissioning 
knowledge and experience we can make better, 
systems?
Groups
quicker decisions for people with similar needs 
along with other NHS organisations are 
and the wider communities we serve
responsible for the planning and commissioning 
•  We will adopt a unified approach, 
of services such as NHS England, Health 
doing things at scale and building 
Education England and the Innovation Agency
on what already works well. 
•  We will share data rather than 
duplicating it, to support care 
for individuals, neighbourhoods 
and the whole population whilst 
always respecting people’s right 
to privacy.
Councils
•  We will continue to develop our 
work with local partners and other public
shared care record to support the 
service providers, connecting health and care to
their communities
delivery of safe, effective care, 
using data to predict and prevent 
disease.
• 
Communities
 We will access and process data 
PHARMACY
as soon as it is recorded so we can 
we will work with those who are making a 
Connecting together health 
manage our resources effectively 
difference to everything that connects health 
and care records is key to 
and plan well for the future.
and care to communities such as voluntary, faith, 
education, charity and business organisations
improving the quality and safety of 
•  We will link people to 
the care we provide
information, resources and 
support, to facilitate choice and 
decision making.
DECLAN HADLEY
References: 1 Based on the number of people registered with a  
Digital Lead
GP in 2016/17, according to NHS England, STP footprint analysis 
Healthier Lancashire and South Cumbria
pack Lancashire and South Cumbria, Five Year Forward View 2016.
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Healthier Lancashire and South Cumbria - Our Digital Future
Approximately 
What will 
Manage the system 
1,200 people work in 
4
this mean for 
ICT services
more effectively 
organisations?
within secondary care and 
Commissioning Support Unit, 
• 
primary care and CCGs in 
 We will get the basics right 
Lancashire and South Cumbria1
Why
to ensure our systems are 
universally capable and secure 
from cyber-attack. 
By working together we have an opportunity 
•  We will have a single approach to 
An estimated
the way we govern information, 
to better use resources to improve health 
£57.3 million was 
always ensuring the public are 
outcomes for people in our region
aware of how we use data.
spent on IT
•  We will integrate our systems 
in NHS Trusts across Lancashire 
around the person and their 
specific needs, sharing the best 
and South Cumbria in 2016/17 
of what works to solve day-to-
This equated to an average 
day problems.
of approximately 2% of total 
There are clear benefits 
to be derived from a more 
•  We will work together to reduce 
revenue.2
complexity, duplication and 
collaborative approach to delivery of 
costs, using our collective buying 
the digital strategy, not least of which 
power to get the best value for 
is a more robust and innovative offer 
tax payers.
to our organisations, staff and public 
Lancashire and 
and ultimately achieving best value 
•  We will standardise and redesign 
South Cumbria were one of
in the use of public money
our digital systems to release 
the first areas to have 
more time to deliver care and 
a single WIFI solution
GARY RAPHAEL
improve safety.
Executive Lead for Finance and Investment 
available in hospitals, health 
Healthier Lancashire and South Cumbria
centres and GP surgeries
Recor
e
ds
Shar
References: 1 Workforce figures are taken from the Informatics 
Skills Development Network workforce survey. 2 Finance figures were 
provided by the NHS Trusts within Lancashire and South Cumbria
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Healthier Lancashire and South Cumbria - Our Digital Future
What does this 
Robots,
such as the DaVinci 
mean for our 
Xi at Lancashire 
5 Create the future
Teaching Hospitals, 
future?
will continue to be 
hugely successful in improving outcomes for 
treatments such as cancer leading to
•  We will support people to 
quicker recovery
innovate, creating space and 
Why
time to tackle common problems 
and share good practice.
Robots can provide a 3 dimensional view 
•  We will connect people to 
and the ‘wristed’ instruments allow much 
We will work collaboratively, constantly 
specialist resources including 
greater control and care of tissues, making 
wider industry and academic 
seeking out new technologies to improve health 
it much easier for surgeons to access parts 
partners to drive innovation and 
of the body that are difficult to reach, 
and care outcomes and make better use of our 
transformation. 
and undertake complex procedures using 
resources
•  We will consider the potential 
keyhole incisions rather than open surgery, 
of new technologies as we plan 
reducing the risk of complications
ahead.
•  We will build a reputation for 
innovation in technology to 
Genomic medicine,
attract the workforce of the 
sometimes also known as personalised 
future. 
medicine, is an emerging discipline that 
•  We will use the best available 
looks to customise a person’s medical care 
data to drive continuous 
to their body’s unique genetic makeup. 
improvement.
To make sure patients benefit from 
innovations in genomics, the Government 
has committed to sequencing 100,000 
whole human genomes, from 70,000 
patients, by the end of 2018.
The future of Lancashire 
and South Cumbria is in our 
Approximately 
hands, a culture where innovation 
can thrive is vital
35 percent
of healthcare organisations plan to leverage 
DR LIZ MEAR, Chief Executive 
artificial intelligence within two years — and 
The Innovation Agency  
more than half intend to do so within five1.
(Academic Health Science Network for 
the North West Coast)
Source: 1 Healthcare IT News and HIMSS Analytics 
survey from 2017
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Healthier Lancashire and South Cumbria - Our Digital Future
Our next steps
The principles we have set out here represent our determination to use 
digital alongside traditional services for the benefit of people living in 
Lancashire and South Cumbria. 
Our overarching ambition is to empower people, by giving them access to 
clear, relevant, and reliable health information. We believe that over time 
this will lead to better health outcomes for the whole population.
To achieve our ambition, we will develop an annual delivery plan that 
we will ask all our partners to sign up to. This plan will describe our 
collaborative programmes of work and define our investment priorities 
based around the five themes. 
Find out more on our website
healthierlsc.co.uk/digitalfuture
We will judge our progress year-on-year based on the principles we have 
set out, with a bias towards the perspectives of those people who use our 
“KILLER QUOTE HERE? ANY IDEAS?”
services. Our annual review will reflect the pace of change in technology 
Join in the conversation on Twitter
and be seeking to explore and exploit the constantly improving range of 
opportunities that digital provides. 
@HealthierLSC
For the latest news and developments in digital health across Lancashire 
and South Cumbria, visit: healthierlsc.co.uk/digitalfuture 
and follow @healthierlsc on Twitter
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