INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Mobile Technology
Department of Health injects over £ 5 million in remote devices to boost accessible healthcare in underprivileged areas
The Department of Health and Social Care ( DHSC ), the ministerial department responsible for national health policy and the NHS , has injected over £ 5 million in remote working devices to enhance accessible health and social care in underprivileged areas throughout the UK .
The data was retrieved under the Freedom of Information Act ( FOI ), and analysed by the Parliament Street think tank , observing the spending of the Department of Health over the past three financial years .
In total , DHSC spent £ 5,119,717 on 7,246 laptops , tablets and mobile phones for staff and regional practices across the UK .
Laptops accounted for 70 % of the expenditure , with over £ 3.5 million poured into 4,312 devices . Mobile phones also took up a sizable portion of the spending , making up 28 % of the budget on 2,806 devices , while tablets were far less common , accounting for 2 % and 128 devices .
Warning of the cyber-risks , Andy Ward , VP International at Absolute Security , said : “ For many remote working devices , essential security tools are not always effective . As highlighted in our Cyber Resilience Index , Endpoint Protection Platforms and network access security applications on managed PCs fail to operate effectively 24 % of the time .
“ Cyber-resilience must be a top priority for organisations , especially with staff who work remotely . This includes having comprehensive cyberdefence measures that integrate reactive , preventative and recovery procedures .”
Just over half of the spending came in financial year 21 – 22 , with a major injection from the department into remote working to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic , helping to facilitate work-from-anywhere .
It forms part of the department ’ s commitment to harnessing a well-equipped healthcare workforce to support communities across the UK who require the best health and social care service .
The investment is part of DHSC ’ s initiative to establish an affordable , high-quality adult social care system and enhance national healthcare services .
Sachin Agrawal , Managing Director for Zoho UK , said : “ The onset of work-from-anywhere , catalysed by the pandemic , is still having a significant impact on working models today , and it ’ s great to see the Department of Health and Social Care equipping staff with the tech they need to facilitate this . The initiative not only supports the workforce , but also enhances the overall efficiency and responsiveness of healthcare delivery across the UK and helps to improve health and social outcomes in underprivileged areas .
“ This investment should form part of a wider strategy , providing employees with the latest software applications and digital skills training to fully understand capabilities to maximise productivity and deliver critical services , regardless of where they are logging on from .” p
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