Health Service Focus

02.03.20

Axe the fax: Bringing about the end of the outdated hospital machinery

Richard Kerr BSc, MBBS, MS, FRCS is a Council Member of the Royal College of Surgeons and was Chair of the Commission on the Future of Surgery

This article was first published in the NHE Jan/Feb 2020 edition

It is less than two years since the Royal College of Surgeons of England submitted freedom of information requests to NHS Trusts on their use of fax machines. This 1980s technology, long since abandoned by almost everyone else, turned out to be the backbone of NHS communications, with 9,000 machines still in active use nationwide.

 The government response has been both swift and decisive. Matt Hancock as Health Secretary, announced an embargo on further fax machine purchases, and set a deadline of March this year for the equipment to be junked altogether. We are now approaching that deadline, and we watch with baited breath to see if that target will be met.

 Apart from being glacially slow and totally inefficient, this mode of exchanging information is also clearly insecure. In all our everyday lives we routinely password protect all sensitive documents sent by email. Yet this old technology is exposing sensitive personal, patient data         to interception either at the point of transmission or while piles of paper sit uncollected on fax “in-trays”.

Among healthcare systems around the world, the NHS is often described as the most centralised. The “command and control” nature of the system does present challenges, but it also provides an opportunity to move beyond the Secretary of State’s decree on faxes toward a positive, joined-up approach to data collection and sharing.

Modern integrated systems should be implemented across the service, protecting individuals’ data but also allowing the NHS to track patterns across the population as a whole. Genomic medicine should be to 21st century healthcare what vaccines were to the 20th century: a paradigm shift towards prevention rather than cure.

Personalised early and preventative care remains the major aim. The access and analysis of such datasets will enable that, but the public has to know their data is safe and secure at all times. The UK has the opportunity to be the world leader in this field, drawing on a unified (but anonymised) vast dataset about the prevalence of disease among particular groups, and how those groups respond to different treatments.

In this environment, the fax machine is no more suitable as core hospital equipment than candlelight in operating theatres. If the health secretary succeeds in their abolition, he will have done us all a great service.

Comments

There are no comments. Why not be the first?

Add your comment

national health executive tv

more videos >

latest healthcare news

NHS England commits £30m to join up HR and staff rostering systems

09/09/2020NHS England commits £30m to join up HR and staff rostering systems

As NHS England looks to support new ways of working, it has launched a £30m contract tender for HR and staff rostering systems, seeking sup... more >
Gender equality in NHS leadership requires further progress

09/09/2020Gender equality in NHS leadership requires further progress

New research carried out by the University of Exeter, on behalf of NHS Confederation, has shown that more progress is still needed to achieve gen... more >
NHS Trust set for big savings in shift to digital patient letters

09/09/2020NHS Trust set for big savings in shift to digital patient letters

Up and down the country, NHS trusts are finding new and innovative ways to leverage the power of digital technologies. In Bradford, paper appoint... more >

editor's comment

26/06/2020Adapting and Innovating

Matt Roberts, National Health Executive Editorial Lead. NHE May/June 2020 Edition We’ve been through so much as a health sector and a society in recent months with coronavirus and nothing can take away from the loss and difficulties that we’ve faced but it vital we also don’t disregard the amazing efforts we’v... read more >

last word

Haseeb Ahmad: ‘We all have a role to play in getting innovations quicker’

Haseeb Ahmad: ‘We all have a role to play in getting innovations quicker’

Haseeb Ahmad, president of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), sits down with National Health Executive as part of our Last Word Q&A series. Would you talk us th... more > more last word articles >

the scalpel's daily blog

Covid-19 can signal a new deal with the public on health

28/08/2020Covid-19 can signal a new deal with the public on health

Danny Mortimer, Chief Executive, NHS Employers & Deputy Chief Executive, NHS Confederation The common enemy of coronavirus united the public side by side with the NHS in a way that many had not seen in their lifetimes and for others evoked war-time memories. It was an image of defiance personified by the unforgettable NHS fundraising efforts of Captain Sir Tom Moore, resonating in the supportive applause during the we... more >
read more blog posts from 'the scalpel' >

comment

NHS England dementia director prescribes rugby for mental health and dementia patients

23/09/2019NHS England dementia director prescribes rugby for mental health and dementia patients

Reason to celebrate as NHS says watching rugby can be good for your mental health and wellbeing. As the best rugby players in the world repr... more >
Peter Kyle MP: It’s time to say thank you this Public Service Day

21/06/2019Peter Kyle MP: It’s time to say thank you this Public Service Day

Taking time to say thank you is one of the hidden pillars of a society. Being on the receiving end of some “thanks” can make communit... more >
Nurses named as least-appreciated public sector workers

13/06/2019Nurses named as least-appreciated public sector workers

Nurses have been named as the most under-appreciated public sector professionals as new research reveals how shockingly under-vauled our NHS, edu... more >
Creating the Cardigan integrated care centre

10/06/2019Creating the Cardigan integrated care centre

Peter Skitt, county director and commissioner for Ceredigion Hywel Dda University Health Board, looks ahead to the new integrated care centre bei... more >
Helpforce to launch training programmes for NHS volunteers

10/06/2019Helpforce to launch training programmes for NHS volunteers

Kay Fawcett OBE, clinical advisor and education lead at Helpforce, and Lynn Twinn, talent development consultant, outline the new national traini... more >

interviews

Matt Hancock says GP recruitment is on the rise to support ‘bedrock of the NHS’

24/10/2019Matt Hancock says GP recruitment is on the rise to support ‘bedrock of the NHS’

Today, speaking at the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) annual conference, Matt Hancock highlighted what he believes to be the three... more >
NHS dreams come true for Teesside domestic

17/09/2019NHS dreams come true for Teesside domestic

Over 20 years ago, a Teesside hospital cleaner put down her mop and took steps towards her midwifery dreams. Lisa Payne has been delivering ... more >
How can winter pressures be dealt with? Introduce a National Social Care Service, RCP president suggests

24/10/2018How can winter pressures be dealt with? Introduce a National Social Care Service, RCP president suggests

A dedicated national social care service could be a potential solution to surging demand burdening acute health providers over the winter months,... more >
RCP president on new Liverpool college building: ‘This will be a hub for clinicians in the north’

24/10/2018RCP president on new Liverpool college building: ‘This will be a hub for clinicians in the north’

The president of the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has told NHE that the college’s new headquarters based in Liverpool will become a hu... more >
Duncan Selbie: A step on the journey to population health

24/01/2018Duncan Selbie: A step on the journey to population health

The NHS plays a part in the country’s wellness – but it’s far from being all that matters. Duncan Selbie, chief executive of Pu... more >