Health watch: the UK’s new ‘smart’ approach

With the UK’s National Health Service on its knees, the recently elected Labour government has realized it’s time to get smart and introduce cutting-edge health tech into the equation.

Millions of smart watches and rings are to be handed out on prescription in a bid to get those suffering from ill health to monitor their own well-being.

Diabetes patients will be able to keep an eye on their blood sugar levels while those prone to high blood pressure will be able to monitor their blood pressure levels.

The devices should also help those with heart conditions to be aware of high-risk activities or behaviors, preventing them from ending up critically ill in hospital.

Smart rings, which have already been successfully piloted in the Greater Manchester area in the north of England, will allow cancer patients to keep tabs on vital signs and track the effectiveness of treatment.

Part of a 10-year plan to modernize the cumbersome National Health Service (NHS), the devices will enable cancer patients to monitor heart rate, temperature, physical activity levels and sleep.

There will also be smart help for those who have suffered a stroke and those with Parkinson’s disease, providing information on mobility and tremors.

“Our 10-year health plan will turn the NHS on its head, powered by cutting-edge technology that helps us stay healthy and out of hospital,” said health secretary, Wes Streeting, in the Independent.

Streeting added “It’s going to take time, but it is our mission to take the NHS from the worst crisis in its history, get it back on its feet and make it fit for the future,” the Daily Mail reports.

Other aspects of the plan include “transforming it [the NHS] into a Neighborhood Health Service,” with the construction of new neighborhood health clinics.

The neighborhood health clinic initiative aims to move care from hospitals to the community while the smart devices will focus on prevention rather than treatment.

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