Wednesday Webinars

A final call for our Webinar starting 09:45 on Wednesday 24th: How to find the perfect assisted living aid: just AskSARA! We now have over 100 registrations so if you’ve not signed up yet you may want to do so to be sure you’re not missing something exciting.

The registrations for our latest ICS webinar, Connected Nottinghamshire, on March 3rd, back starting at our usual time of 10:00 are rising fast now too, where the main focus will be the benefits of integrating both the NHS App and Patients Know Best into the Nottinghamshire health and social care system.

Finally, Brown Rudnick’s Data Protection post Brexit, on March 24th, deserves serious attention by anyone planning on submitting an investment proposal or currently providing a digital health service or product that involves personal data (ie almost everyone).

Closure of the PSTN Network

This item is just to check that all our readers are aware of the closure of the PSTN Network in the UK in 2025. Here is the BT Openreach current coverage of what needs to be done. Here is a warning from a digital telecare specialist who suggests that the switch off could lead to failure of home care systems.

And finally…

• Smiths Detection has demonstrated a device for identifying if Covid-19 virus particles are in the air where it has been placed. The tests were performed using live SARS-CoV-2 virus in a Biosafety Level 3 containment area at Fort Detrick, Maryland. The SARS-CoV-2 CANARY biosensor used in the BioFlash device demonstrated that it can quickly detect and identify the presence of low levels of aerosolized SARS-CoV-2.
• Faculty has another fascinating Zoom event on this week that I’m sure to struggle with entitled: “Beyond propensity modelling – tweaks to enhance your machine learning marketing” on Thursday 11:00-12:00
• The next set of excellent AHSN Network Market Insight Briefings Webinars have been announced, for 11th March, 14th April, 12th May, and 10th June. Contact KSSAHSN.bridgingthegap@nhs.net if you want to attend.
• Ursula von der Leyen gave a speech last week suggesting this could be Europe’s digital decade – if that happens, I’d suggest it’s unlikely that digital health will make a major contribution, unless the EU can remove the MDR’s particularly steep cliff edge that means that most developers of health & care devices that can do something really useful are required to engage a Notified Body, spend lots of money and take a long time developing it.
• Superdrug is now offering an online GP service though it’s private and not directly integrated with a patient’s NHS EHR.
• The Royal Society has published Twelve criteria for the development and use of COVID-19 vaccine passports.
• O2 helps NHS hit vaccinations milestone with connected solutions.
• 26,000 falls may have been prevented after GPs used prescribing tech to change drugs for at risk patients: Greater scrutiny may have prevented that number of falls in a single year, according to new analysis by Kent Surrey Sussex Academic Health Science Network (KSS AHSN).The review examined the benefits of healthcare professionals using a prescribing decision support technology, OptimiseRx, to avoid risky prescription of anticholinergic drugs in elderly patients with dementia or a history of falls, that might then result in potential adverse side effects.

Many thanks as always to Prof Mike Short for kindly alerting me to items i might otherwise have missed.

I do hope as many as possible fo you can join me on Wednesday’s Webinar (at 9:45).