The government today revealed its plan for digital health and social care, setting out its vision for utilising digital technology to provide patients with quicker and more effective care and saving health and care systems time and money.

The government said it will improve access to information for people and their care teams through the NHS app and website, resulting in faster, more personalised treatment. This includes bringing information together into the app and enabling people to view and manage hospital appointments, have virtual consultations, and see notifications from their GP.

Today’s announcement also outlines the acceleration of the use of digital technology across the NHS and social care to improve efficiency and free-up front line workers’ time, helping to catch up with backlogs caused by the pandemic.

There will also be an increase in remote monitoring, where patients use technology to monitor their condition from home, with a further 500,000 people taking part by March next year. More than 280,000 people already used remote monitoring at home and in care homes for long-term conditions in the past year.

£2 billion has been earmarked from the spending review to help digitalise the NHS and social care sector. Health and social care secretary Sajid Javid said: “We are embarking on a radical programme of modernisation that will make sure the NHS is set up to meet the challenges of 2048 – not 1948, when it was first established.

“This plan builds on our data strategy to revolutionise digital health and care, which will enable patients to manage hospital appointments from the NHS app and take more control of their own care at home, picking up problems sooner and seeking help earlier.

“Ensuring more personalisation and better join up of the system will benefit patients, free-up clinician time, and help us to bust the Covid backlogs.”

Patients will also be able to complete their hospital pre-assessment checks from home across the country by September 2024.

In addition to the investment in technology, the plan aims to bolster skills in the health and social care workforce by: developing a national digital workforce strategy to bridge the skills gap; growing the specialist data and tech workforce through graduates, apprentices and experienced hires, creating an additional 10,500 positions; embedding digital skills development into university curricula; and providing a digital learning offer for adult social care staff, such as offering accessible training and online resources.

The plan will also promote the use of digital health and social care records, to facilitate seamless information sharing between care teams, including appropriate access to GP records for people working in care homes, such as registered managers. The adoption of digital social care records and other care technologies is backed by £25 million of government funding this year.

Professor Vic Rayner, chief executive of the National Care Forum said: “I welcome the focus the government has on supporting digital transformation across the social care sector. There are many opportunities that digital can offer plan brings together a range of initiatives, setting out a pathway that talks ambitiously of a future where digital supports people and communities to live the lives they want. It is vital that this programme of change continues to listen, adapt and work with the care sector so that the opportunities it presents are available for all.”

Sarah Sweeney, head of policy at National Voices, a coalition of health and social care charities in England, added: “We welcome the ambition to use technology as an enabler for joined up, personalised care. We haven’t yet realised the full power of digital tools to help achieve person-centred, inclusive and accessible care for people and we have lots more to discover. We look forward to working with health and care leaders, health and care charities and people living with ill health and disability to explore how digital tools can be used to make what matters to people matter in health and care.”

Councillor David Fothergill, chairman of the Local Government Association’s community wellbeing board commented: “Digital technology has great potential to support those who draw on care services, and the launch of the digital health and care plan is a positive step in enabling people to live the lives they want. We look forward to working with NHS to ensure digital transformation occurs in parallel across both social care and health. Only by ensuring that care has an equal footing with health are we able to achieve the best outcomes for people and communities.”