The NHS has confirmed it is teaming up
with leading tech firms to ensure critically medical equipment is available to
the facilities most in need during the coronavirus outbreak.
It
blogged the firms would create computer dashboard screens to show the spread of
the virus and the healthcare system's ability to deal with it.
These
will draw on data gathered via 111 calls and COVID-19 test results.
The
first should be made available to government decision-makers next week.
Four
tech firms were named in the blog. Three are US-based: Microsoft, Google and
Palantir. The fourth is Faculty AI, which is headquartered in London.
Amazon
was not referenced but the BBC has confirmed that it is also involved. The NHS
intends to add details of the company's role later.
Many
of the details of the scheme were first reported by the BBC on Thursday.
Vulnerable groups
The
blog confirmed that NHSX - a unit responsible for digital innovation - was
heading the effort to harness a range of data sources, so that they could be
used in combination.
The
aim is to create dashboards that draw on the information as soon as it becomes
available in order to help the government and health chiefs to:
- Understand how the virus is spreading and identify risks to particularly vulnerable groups of people.
- Proactively increase resources in emerging hot spots.
- Ensure critical equipment is supplied to hospitals and other facilities in the greatest need.
- Divert patients to the facilities best able to care for them based on demand, resources and staffing capacity.
It
added that the information would "largely" be drawn from existing
data sources, and would be anonymized so that individual patients could not be
identified. It said this would involve removing names, addresses and other
identifiers, and replacing them with a "pseudonym".
In
time, it said, the aim was to provide a separate dashboard that could be viewed
by the public.
Regarding
the tech firms, it said:
- Microsoft had built a data store on its Azure cloud computing platform to hold the information in a single, secure location.
- Palantir was providing use of its Foundry the software tool, which analyses records to deliver a "single source of truth".
- Faculty AI was developing the dashboards, models and simulations that decision-makers would be presented with.
- Google's G Suite of productivity apps might be used to collect and aggregate real-time operational data such as occupancy levels and A&E capacity.
"Microsoft
remains steadfastly committed to supporting the NHS every way it can at this
critical time," Cindy Rose, the firm's UK chief executive said.
Although
not mentioned, Amazon's AWS division will also provide additional cloud
computing facilities.
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