Katie Davis: NHS has huge enthusiasm for IT

Katie Davis: NHS has huge enthusiasm for IT

Department of Health informatics director Katie Davis has said that the NHS is likely have 'world beating' informatics within a few years

Katie Davis, director general and managing director NHS informatics at the Department of Health, said that although the health service was dealing with huge change, she was confident that it would be close to having "world beating" informatics within 5-10 years.

Speaking to the HC2012 conference in London Davis said: "What gives me that confidence are days like today, when you see the enthusiasm across clinicians, suppliers, managers in the NHS, IT professionals.

"We see a huge enthusiasm that I don't think you saw a number of years ago. And a real understanding of the opportunities that better use of information can bring.

"You see so many examples of GPs and hospitals doing so many innovative things with IT, with the patient at the core and using information in a better way."

She emphasised that the "top down" the role of her department had gone and that its aim now is to provide the support to enable innovation and enthusiasm for informatics to continue, and making sure the health service can share best practice.

Health minister Lord Howe also reminded the conference of the information strategy for the NHS, which will be published at the end of May. The publication will come some 18 months after the department's information revolution consultation, which set out changes to the ways in which information is collected, analysed and used by the NHS and adult social care services.