Innovative methods in NHS functioning

The desire of the patient to get an individual high-quality treatment has become the engine of the new system, including technological ones. NHS applies contemporary approaches to meet the demand of contemporary patients; they include e-healthcare, material motivations, free electronic access to services, etc.

The UK Government developed a document defining a strategy for e-health system. In 2003, all agencies and employees of the public health system were combined into a nationwide computer network, also a single database was created containing the results of biochemical, hematological and microbiological tests of patients. By 2005, a full transfer to high-speed access was made, as well as cryptoprotection while information sharing. In late 2007, all major health insurance institutions and hospitals launched a nationwide online service for making appointment to the doctor, and introduced electronic medical records (Harrop 2007 pp. 272-284).

Everyone will have access to personal “health page” on the Internet, where the records about one’s health are made.

One can also enter individual preferences for treatment. If the proposed program is implemented, the creation of electronic health system will be the largest national IT project.

 

Moreover, according to the official information, from February 1, 2009 to January 31, 2010 the UK Department of Health has spent £ 2’720’457,11 on contextual advertising in Google. It is obvious that all the search queries of medical topics are popular with advertisers, so it could help attract patients to the provided services.

National Health Service also spends funds for making research aimed at increasing the level of provided medical services. For instance, it has spent 10 thousand pounds for a survey conducted among 3,3 thousand NHS doctors from the West Midlands. Respondents were asked to determine how much they like such leaders as Adolf Hitler, Richard Branson, Winston Churchill, Gordon Brown, Fabio Capello and others. Next, respondents were to compare those leaders with their superiors. The aim of the study was the optimization of the staff. NHS was pleased with the results of the study, stating that it received the basic characteristics necessary for staff leaders, important for improving the service and work processes (Brown 2010 p. 44).

National Health Service of Great Britain is innovative in applying motivational methods of preventing and curing serious diseases of the nation. For example, one of the programs assumes that the government will pay patients from 70 up to 425 pounds for weight loss. To get a reward, a person should pass a 13-month weight loss program. During the first seven months, he throws the weight to the limit. To successfully complete the program, participants should not gain weight during the next six months. The amount of remuneration depends on the thrown weight. For getting rid of 7 kilos, participant will receive 70 pounds, and 160 pounds – for 13,5 kg, and those who lost more than 22 kilograms, will receive 425 pounds.

Similar systems of monetary rewards were applied in the fight against smoking, as well as in the program of raising awareness of Chlamydia spreading, when NHS offered young people aged 16 to 24 years residing in three districts of London to take rapid tests. In the case if the young man sends his test results to the NHS staff, he will receive a certificate equal to £ 10, which can be spent on the purchase of audio recordings in the chain of HMV music stores.

As another way to attract young Londoners to undergo the tests for the disease, the authors of the initiative will hold a lottery among the participants of the action with a popular iPod player as the main prize (Aggio 2009).

Every year the British National Health Service spends more than one billion pounds for the fight against obesity, not counting other widespread and incurable diseases. In the long term, the proposed initiatives will help save some of the funds used to treat these patients.



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