This month, industry leaders from around the health and tech world came together to discuss the desperate need for innovation and collaboration in the health industry – and how this can be achieved – as part of the health innovation summit, “Quantum Health Longevity: Healthy People, Planet and Growth,” hosted by The National Innovation Centre for Ageing in collaboration with UKRI’s Healthy Ageing Challenge and UKRI-STFC.
From health and longevity to sustainability and economic growth, experts fostered discussions on collaborations that could lead to much-needed breakthroughs and health innovation in these very areas.
The Role of quantum technologies in health innovation
One of the conference’s main themes focused on the role of quantum technologies in promoting healthy longevity. From remote monitoring technology to using data, quantum technologies have the potential to slow the inherent health deterioration that comes with ageing. Using technology in health innovation is nothing new, but the key is using it to its full potential.
A manageable change, such as integrating remote monitoring sensors into a home to monitor patterns of behaviour and slow deterioration, is now proven to have a ripple effect throughout the health and social care industry. The pressures taken off the system through the implementation of health tech and the associated reduction of costs have shown to be incredibly impactful for individuals, professionals, and the industry itself – for every £1 spent on Lilli’s remote monitoring technology, £4 can be reallocated back into the care budget.
Mobilising a stagnant system
One of the primary challenges identified in the discussions throughout the summit was the stagnant nature of the health and social care system and the slow adoption of technology within the industry.
“The biggest frustration is the lack of conjoiner within the health and social care ecosystem… Unless it is joined up, every aspect of it will be fragmented,”
said Professor Lynne Corner, COO of the UK’s National Innovation Centre for Ageing, when discussing working together towards the implementation of technology innovation into the industry.
Nick Weston, CCO of Lilli, added:
“We cannot rely on the central government to give us an overarching strategy… We have got to fix these infrastructure pieces and create an environment where people want to share.”
The potential of collaboration
A key step to realising a system-wide impact is that as industry, thought leaders, and healthcare professionals, we need to collaborate across health and social care. This summit was a great first step towards creating a basis for these relationships and establishing the industry-wide desire for collaboration and working together towards an improved future.
Deploying a preventative strategy supported by technology into social care will have a profound impact on the entire health and social care ecosystem, and the speed of the process only determines the speed of the improvement of the system and the rate of prevention of its potential collapse under current pressures.
“This is not technology for technology’s sake… but really it’s about, how does it fit into existing systems and gradually improve those systems,”
emphasised Dr. Rachna Lévêque, Senior Housing Innovation Specialist at Connected Places Catapult.
Learning with Lilli
This issue was also discussed and supported in our Lilli-run workshop, “Care at the Crossroads.” where we discussed the contrasting results of either adopting technology at scale and transforming our services or continuing with a reactive care model at the point of demand – concluding that a proactive care approach is critical to realising this positive system-wide change.
We also tackled these key issues as part of our ‘Starting with Social Care: How to Have a whole system impact’ report. Resources such as this report and collaborative event are a crucial first step towards realising the changes we want and need to see.
The Quantum Healthy Longevity Summit was an excellent opportunity for a productive and in-depth discussion on health, longevity, sustainability, and their economic impact with experts in these fields and a network with like-minded, innovation-driven professionals, scientists, policymakers, and entrepreneurs.
Discussing the challenges and opportunities that arise from the intersection of these areas of expertise and exploring innovative solutions that can benefit individuals, society, and the system has been a crucial step towards the future we need to create together.
