Keeping the human at the centre of care
03 July 2024
Our Programmes Officer Isabella Carreon visited Manchester last month as a first-time attendee at the NHS Confed Expo. Here she reflects on what she saw and considers what this means for the future of health and care.
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Having the opportunity to go to the NHS Confed Expo so early in my career was incredibly insightful, yet daunting. There was an overwhelming amount of talks, booths, and people to connect with that share the same passions as me. I learned so much in the hours I spent in Manchester, sitting in on talks and networking.
The first thing that struck me about the show was the amount of AI companies there. It was a bit overwhelming and seemed to say very clearly that this new “thing” is here to stay. I sat in on lots of discussions about how it will revolutionise care, but I left with the feeling that we have to learn how to make sure we do not lose the human side of patient care.
After hearing a talk that proposed utilising AI for consultations for patients who are thought to be in good health and just needing routine check-ups, I had to reflect that these are still extremely important interactions. People want to engage with people and not machines.
People want to engage with people and not machines.”
On the other hand, at a Hackathon talk I attended we heard examples of using AI to decrease the time GPs spend reading notes, aid in task lists, and gather patient data. This would increase GPs’ efficiency and reduce admin, but most importantly would free up time for GPs to spend engaging with patients.
Amid all the innovative ideas, I felt it was also really important to keep the patient in mind. We must always remember to have cut-off points in our use of AI in patient care, making sure we don’t lose the human interaction.
Other talks I went to were about inclusivity in health and care. The stories I heard were incredible, and I felt it’s so important that they result in change. In one talk I attended, the speakers shared their study on anti-racism in the NHS and how black women are at such a disadvantage when having kids. There needs to be a push on these case studies and more opportunities for them to feed into reform.
Finally, while there were a couple of charities I saw that had marquees and displays, it was noticeable how outnumbered they seemed to be by the big technology companies. Not seeing a variety of charities at events like this shows how important it is for us to continue turning up and telling people about the work that we do. I felt like it’s down to us to make sure these new practices are keeping the human at the centre of care.
Overall, this was an amazing experience and I hope to continue attending and showing how important it is for charities like ours to be not only seen, but heard.