Portsmouth MP Stephen Morgan has said Labour’s 10-year plan for the NHS will deliver better care for patients by bringing the NHS into the digital age.
Mr Morgan made the comments during a visit to QA Hospital in Portsmouth where he spent time on the frontline with the surgical team.
During the visit, the city MP met with staff and toured the robotic-assisted surgery area, seeing a showcase of the robot used exclusively for emergency cases.
The UK’s first robotic-assisted day case surgery programme launched at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust (PHU) last year to demonstrate how da Vinci surgical systems can be harnessed to improve patient outcomes and support sustainable productivity improvements in the NHS.
Whilst examples of robotic-assisted day case surgery exist in some hospitals across the NHS, this is the UK’s first programme to have a dedicated da Vinci system based in a day surgery unit, creating increased capacity for surgeons to treat patients with a wider range of conditions with robotic-assisted surgery.
Labour’s 10-year plan to get the NHS back on its feet and to make it fit for the future will deliver three big shifts in how the NHS works:
- From hospital to community
- From analogue to digital
- From sickness to prevention
The government inherited an analogue NHS, reliant on paper and fax machines and out of step with modern technology. The government’s plan will bring it into the digital age, making sure staff benefit from the advantages and efficiencies available from new technology.
Through Labour’s Plan for Change, the government is shifting the focus from sickness to prevention and creating a more active state – one that works with partners to make the healthy choice the easy choice – and a transition of the NHS from a sickness service to a prevention service.
It sets out how the Labour Government will seize the opportunities provided by new technology, medicines, and innovation, in order to deliver better care for all patients – no matter where they live or how much they earn – and better value for taxpayers.
Commenting on the visit, Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan said:
“Shifting from analogue to digital is a key part of Labour’s 10-year plan to get the NHS back on its feet and to make it fit for the future.
“It was therefore great to spend time with the surgical team at QA Hospital to see their ground-breaking work and use of technology to provide patients with better and quicker care.
“I was able to watch the UK’s first robotic-assisted day case surgery programme, observe a patient having their gallbladder removed and see how these modern systems can help support our NHS.
“As always, it was also a pleasure to meet with frontline workers and thank them for their heroic work to provide care for Portsmouth people.”
Caring for our local NHS is a key priority for Stephen Morgan.
Earlier this week, he welcomed news that the Labour Government has delivered over 23,000 extra NHS appointments for Portsmouth people after one year.
