Responding to Darzi at Digital Health Rewired – Securing Mobile Digital Transformation
We are delighted once again to be exhibiting at the Digital Health Rewired conference #rewired25, one of the largest healthcare IT events in the UK calendar. With 9 stages, 300 speakers and 4,000 attendees expected at Birmingham NEC, 18 – 19 March, Rewired 2025 promises to be the best yet.
The hottest debate is likely to be around the Darzi Report, published in November 2024, and its ramifications for Trusts. The report highlights “low digital maturity” across the NHS and calls for a “major tilt towards technology to unlock productivity”, including digital systems for NHS staff working outside hospitals and using AI to transform care. Mobile technology can play a vital role in improving efficiency and productivity, but to effectively harness the power of mobile, we need to learn from the experiences of frontline clinicians.
The Love-Hate State of Mobile Device Management
The Darzi report notes that there is a strong perception among NHS staff that IT creates an additional burden. “It always seems to add to the workload of clinicians rather than releasing more time to care by simplifying the inevitable administrative tasks that arise,” Lord Darzi says.
While the use of mobile technology, particularly shared mobile devices, brings many potential benefits and cost-savings, there are associated risks, like unauthorised access. This makes it essential to implement a mobile strategy when integrating mobile devices into healthcare settings to ensure they are optimised for both security and efficiency.
This is echoed by our own research in collaboration with Dr. George Gellert MD, MPH, MPA, a public health physician and epidemiologist focused on using health information technology to improve population and public health outcomes. In his paper: The Love-Hate State of Mobile Device Management in Healthcare, he discusses the reality of using mobile devices within hospitals in the UK, the US, Germany and Australia.
Integrated access management solutions, such as Imprivata Enterprise Access Management, provides a suite of products like single sign-on and passwordless authentication to help provide fast, secure access to patient information at the point of care.
NHS Trusts have seen success for both clinician and patients when utilising these tools. This efficient and frictionless workflow not only gives them time back to focus on their patients, write up notes or grab a quick cuppa, it also reduces the stress and irritation associated with using IT, making it almost invisible and improving their quality of life and satisfaction. Our recent work with Surrey and Sussex Healthcare, where Imprivata Mobile Device Access has transformed workflows on shared mobile devices to support care pathways, has led to enthusiastic user adoption and increased compliance.
Third-party access risk to cybersecurity
We are also looking forward to featuring some news at Rewired. Modern healthcare relies heavily on third-party vendors, contractors, and a complex supply chain to operate effectively – but improving security and reducing the risk of this sprawling vendor ecosystem can be a challenge.
To increase awareness of this threat and help UK organisations better understand how to address it, Imprivata has released new research conducted in partnership with the Ponemon Institute on: The state of third-party access in cybersecurity. The study reveals regional findings underscoring the extent of the problem facing healthcare when it comes to managing third-party access to clinical systems, including:
- 51% of UK organisations have experienced a data breach or cyberattack over the past 12 months that involved a third-party accessing their network, which is higher than the global average of 47%.
- Of the organisations that experienced a data breach or cyberattack in the past 12 months, the biggest consequences suffered were the loss or theft of sensitive and confidential information (54%), regulatory fines (49%)
The Synnovis breach and Change Healthcare breach both in 2024, demonstrate just how serious the consequences can be with reportedly over 6,000 appointments and procedures cancelled in the UK in just five weeks as a consequence of the Synnovis attack.
As well as implementing #cybertools and strategies to manage vendor and third-party privileged access, such as Imprivata Privileged Access Security, in the UK there is a move for NHS Trusts to adopt the National Cyber Security Centre’s (NCSC Cyber Assessment Framework #CAF, as part of National Access for clinical applications as they move from CIS1 to CIS2 in the coming years. Imprivata is working closely with NHS England to support this initiative, and our cybersecurity experts will be on hand to explain how this will work at Rewired.
Making life easier for clinicians
While IT is arguably getting more complex and the risks growing exponentially, access management solutions leveraging passwordless authentication, mobile technology, and third-party risk management can improve security and reduce risk while enhancing productivity and efficiency for clinicians. Only by making frontline workers central to the digital transformation journey will NHS Trusts be able to deliver the step change required in frontline care that benefits both clinicians and patients.
See us at DH Rewired
At Rewired, Dr. Sean Kelly, MD, Imprivata Chief Medical Officer, also Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Lahey Health, will be discussing how clinically focused principles for realising Health IT enable transformation in care.
The session on the Digital Transformation Stage at 14.30 on 18 March will demonstrate how clinical leaders and influencers are the proven driving force for success with digital transformation, and how best to engage them. Learn more about the speaking session here.
Don’t miss this opportunity to see us at Rewired on stand I30 – we're looking forward to speaking with you then!