NHS staff fear 'big tech' firms analysing patient data

A YouGov poll of 1,027 healthcare professionals, commissioned by Sensyne Health, found that 81% support analysing patient data to enable quicker diagnosis and more effective treatments while 71% believe this analysis can help solve some of the greatest healthcare challenges in the UK, such as cardiovascular disease. However, just 12% of NHS staff and private healthcare workers said they would be comfortable with a multinational'big tech' company which pays little tax in the UK carrying the analysis out. Only 17% said they would trust multinational'big tech' companies to handle the data in a confidential manner. In comparison, 80% believe the UK should have a domestic capability in Artificial Intelligence and health data analysis so it doesn't need to be outsourced to other countries or multinational companies. More than eight in 10 (85%) say the NHS should receive a fair share of any financial gains made from subsequent medical discoveries, with 87% explicitly calling on the Government to step in and ensure that both the NHS and UK taxpayers benefit from discoveries and gains resulting from any analysis. The findings also highlight the significant benefits that anonymised analysis and data-driven technology can bring – from reducing workloads for doctors and nurses, to helping patients better manage their conditions.