The health and social care sector is a critical industry that helps support and sustain the quality of life for millions across the UK.
Despite the vital role this sector plays in society, it faces significant challenges regarding productivity, meaning that digitization is crucial to ensuring future strength. Robust connectivity will be a key factor in achieving this.
Watch this recent webinar where Snehal Bhudia, director of Three Business, identified poor connectivity as a key hurdle, placing frontline workers at a disadvantage and often impacting their performance.
Research conducted by Three Business in 2023 found that the majority (73%) of business leaders believe connectivity is “very important” for high performance. Leaders defined “high performance" as improved collaboration and communication, innovation, and early adoption of technology.
Bhudia noted that connectivity is an enabler of high performance for organizations across a range of industries. But measuring this can differ on a sector-by-sector basis.
“There isn’t a single business in any industry that I’ve ever spoken to that doesn’t want high performance. But what that means can be quite different,” she said.
“For some that is about primarily growing their business and expanding, for others, it could be about really driving out maximum efficiency in their sector.”
In health and social care, high performance is different in that it’s measured in both the quality of patient care and health outcomes. Connectivity, therefore, has a “transformational” role in improving both these areas.
Improved connectivity is also vital for remote consultations, especially in hard-to-reach locations where patients have mobility or transport infrastructure issues, for example.
A key hurdle at present - and one Bhudia finds disheartening - is data limitations. With such a reliance on mobile and data connectivity, unlimited data “should absolutely be the norm.”
5G will be critical in overcoming data limitations
5G will enable faster speeds, allow a greater number of devices to be connected within one area, and reduce latency.
This performance boost compared to previous connectivity standards represents an exciting opportunity for practitioners, helping to support the use of technologies such as AR and VR, data analytics, and even machine learning.
Citing practical examples of how this is helping to transform the sector, David O’Brien, COO of medical imaging specialist firm Diagnostic Healthcare, said it has been leveraging 5G to support the use of imaging technology.
“As imaging technology procedures have become more advanced and complex, the requirement for transfer of more data and larger amounts of data has grown,” he said.
“We’ve always had the ability to connect our systems to enable rapid transfer of images and data to aid patient management. But with recent advances in connection capability, we can be more flexible and extend our services to more locations.”
Patients can now access scans or test results in “places they would never have been able to access them before” and in situations where they would previously have had to attend a hospital appointment. This has enabled a more seamless and convenient care pathway for patients.
Tips for unleashing high performance
Health and social care organizations looking to unlock productivity and performance improvements should always start with bolstering connectivity, Bhudia said.
She suggested organizations seek out a supplier that can provide a strong 5G network, which will improve their speed and responsiveness.
Flexibility should also be a key focus, not just in terms of operational agility, but also the flexibility of the connectivity provider itself. Requirements change rapidly for many organizations, especially in an evolving area like health and social care.
Personalized services based on unique individual needs are also critical, and dedicated support is not a “one size fits all” situation and can differ, Bhudia noted.
“They also need a bit of expert guidance on how to get the best data connectivity and the technology that they use as well.”
This is where Three Business comes in, according to Bhudia. The company is “very passionate” about its long-standing support for the health and social care sector, and all of these services and options are offered by the company.
Watch the webinar above to learn more about the latest insights, trends and innovations in the industry and click here to find out how Three Business can help unlock high performance for your organization.
