Ministers have hired Steve Rowe to ensure the NHS Productivity Plan, due to be published later this year, “improves care across England”.
A former M&S boss has been hired as NHS productivity tsar after leading the High Street chain out of the doldrums.
Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said the “stalwart” changed his fortunes by “embracing modernity” and is demanding the health service do the same.
His department has hired Steve Rowe to ensure the NHS Productivity Plan, due to be published later this year, “improves care across England”.
It comes after Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced a £3.4bn investment in NHS productivity during Wednesday’s budget.
In a keynote speech at the annual summit of the Nuffield Trust think tank, Ms Atkins said the “huge amount of money” would be transformative.
It will be used to expand the use of AI, reduce paperwork for doctors and improve patient access.
One major project will involve AI listening to medical appointments so it can automatically generate patient notes.
Atkins said he will reduce the time doctors spend on administration so they can see more patients.
She told the summit: ‘We are on the cusp of a medical revolution, where technology, personalized therapies and better data can transform outcomes for a generation that is more health conscious than any that came before.
‘The NHS must seize this opportunity and look to the future, not limit ourselves to what has always been done. In fact, he needs to have – to borrow a phrase – an M&S moment.
‘This much-loved British brand, a stalwart of our high streets for decades, realized a change was needed and embraced modernity, pivoting towards the next generation who wanted them and secured their long-term future.
“This is what the NHS needs to do to make sure it is there for the next 75 years.”
Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said the “stalwart” changed his fortunes by “embracing modernity” and is demanding the health service do the same.
It comes after Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced a £3.4bn investment in NHS productivity during Wednesday’s budget. In a keynote speech at the annual summit of the Nuffield Trust think tank, Ms Atkins said the “huge amount of money” would be transformative.
Ms Atkins continued: ‘I love M&S and I am very happy to welcome Steve Rowe to the Department.
‘The reason we are doing this is precisely because of the recovery story that M&S has experienced over the last five, six, seven years, so it’s fair to say they were in the doldrums and we were all worried about the stores closing. stores.
“Now, many times I’ve had a conversation with colleagues who admire their beautiful new jacket and say, ‘Oh yes, it’s M&S.’
“And it’s because they’ve listened to what their customers have said, but they’ve also recognized that they need to move forward and I think bringing Steve into the Department, helping us with the productivity plan, but also with other forms of delivery, will be a very big step forward.” significant”.
Rowe served as chief executive of M&S from 2016 to 2022, when he stepped down after almost 40 years with the company. He had previously run its food and clothing sections.
A large chunk of the money will help boost the NHS app to become the “single gateway” through which patients can access NHS services and manage their care.
Patients will be able to book and modify appointments and complete a digital health check that will allow doctors to identify those at high risk of disease and intervene early.
The expansion is expected to save staff time by reducing up to 500,000 missed appointments and help keep the nation healthier and more employed.
Just this week, the current boss of M&S said doing business in Britain is “like running up an escalator with a rucksack on your back.”
Dennis Reed, director of over-60s campaign group Silver Voices, raised concerns about the use of AI to record medical appointments.
He said: “If patients feel embarrassed about their medical problems, they may not be as frank as they need to be during a consultation when AI listens to them.”
“This could lead to them receiving the wrong diagnosis or treatment and causing harm.”
Sam Smith, of privacy campaign group medConfidential, said: “Patients should recognize this as the creepy overreach of technology it appears to be.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Trust is the most important issue when implementing new technologies that have a direct impact on patient data.
‘Patient confidentiality will always be a top priority. Any suggestion that the implementation of new technologies will undermine this confidentiality is wrong and irresponsible.’