Building IT solutions for the NHS now
"Analogue to digital" is not strategy, it's just a slogan. Triscribe focus for 2025 is on 4 projects that solve problems NHS people are dealing with today.
In 1987 Robert Solow famously quipped: "You can see the computer age everywhere but in the productivity statistics."
By then computers had been around for decades and the PC revolution was well underway. Yet it took until the late 1990s for the economic statistics to prove the Nobel laureate wrong.
I find this a good way to think about the technology challenges facing the NHS. The current "analogue to digital" framing is simplistic and misleading. In my experience, the NHS is awash with IT systems and has a pretty good base of talented IT professionals.
In other words, the NHS has already laid the foundations to take advantage of digital technology. There is no doubt more to be done. Those teams, like every other part of the system are under severe pressure. So whatever the politicians say, the most important need is for solutions that can make life easier for the 1.5 million people who work in the service. Quickly.
This is what Triscribe does.
Our starting point is listening to the NHS people who use our software every day. They have given us a clear direction for 2025. We see four main projects for future development:
Better data to support the management of medicines shortages
Automating and improving process for billing and reimbursement of high cost drugs (HCDs)
Improving data and analytics around the use of antibiotics by integrating with lab data
Analysis of medicines usage to support Net Zero programmes.
These projects have three things in common:
I could not and did not come up with these ideas. These are the things that NHS hospital clinicians tell me they want every single week. They align closely with the more general views of NHS staff as reported by The Health Foundation in April 2024.
Triscribe knows what data is needed, how to use the data and how to build the software. It’s what we do. Results depend on NHS hospitals figuring out how to integrate new technology with their operations. That means we can only deliver projects in partnership with the NHS.
Widespread adoption happens when the price of technology falls. That has already happened. Triscribe can deliver any or all of these projects with low cost tools based on proven modern technology.
We need your help to deliver these projects successfully. First and foremost, more clinicians from more hospitals brings more insight and means the solutions will generate more value for the NHS. So we would love you to participate in one or more of these projects.
Triscribe is a small company. Money gives us the capacity to deliver more. And the reality is funding is hard to find. NHS resources are limited and private sector investment models are not a good fit with helping the NHS.
That means we fund projects two ways: More customers buying our software; or providing funding through one off contributions from Trusts. A small amount each from a handful of Trusts would be enough for any of these projects. Would you be interested in contributing?
The benefits for your hospital are simple:
Each of these projects will lead to significant savings in drug budgets. For example, one hospital has estimated that they could save £300,000 from the Antibiotics project alone. The whole project would cost less than a third of that to build.
Officially, improved workforce productivity. The numbers and targets around this are largely a sham. Think of it as a business case worthy proxy for making life easier for your team. That's by far the biggest benefit.
Project partners will also get a full year of access to Triscribe’s existing software for no extra cost. Worth £25,000- £50,000 at current prices.
We have the capacity to bring several new hospitals on board in early 2025. If you would like to get involved let me know in any or all of these projects, please get in touch.
Thanks for reading.