New report from Re:State - Hospital of the Future
A new report from Re:State think tank published today challenges us to reimagine hospitals not as buildings, but as services that can be delivered anywhere, anytime. "Hospital of the Future: Hospital as a Service, Not a Building" presents a compelling case for transforming how we deliver secondary care in an era of mounting pressures on traditional healthcare infrastructure.
The report's central thesis is clear - the physical hospital should be reserved only for the most complex, high-risk acute care. The concept of the hospital as a service provides a model for us to meet demand.
The report sets out three foundational principles for the future hospital:
Reimagining the pathway between primary and secondary care in conjunction with a new communication infrastructure and funding model
Prioritising communication over location enabling GPs and specialists to speak to each other as needed
Making virtual care foundational through remote monitoring, virtual consultations, and digital-first approaches
The report's recommendations for Remote General Hospitals particularly resonate with the innovative work already happening across the Digital Healthcare Council community - from TeleTracking's patient flow optimisation and HBSUK's technology–enabled single point of access outpatient service, to Lilli's innovative product offerings to facilitate independent living and Holly Health's virtual care delivery. Preventx's diagnostic testing capabilities and Dr Fox's online pharmacy services exemplify how specialist expertise can be delivered remotely, while HealthNet Homecare demonstrates effective community-based care delivery.
What's particularly striking about this report is how it illustrates that the biggest barriers to healthcare transformation aren't our ability to imagine things working better or technological capability. There are, however, many daunting and interconnected challenges to overcome - from fragmented legacy IT systems and regulatory uncertainties to workforce training needs, cultural issues and funding constraints. This suggests that successful transformation requires a coordinated, system-wide approach.
The message from Re:State's report is clear: while the vision of hospitals as services rather than buildings is both achievable and necessary, realising this future will require unprecedented collaboration between policymakers, healthcare leaders, and technology innovators to tackle these systemic barriers together.