Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

NHS turns to big tech to tackle Covid-19 hot spots

NHS turns to big tech to tackle Covid-19 hot spots

The NHS has confirmed it is teaming up with leading tech firms to ensure critical medical equipment is available to the facilities most in need during the coronavirus outbreak.

It blogged the firms would create computer dashboard screens to show the spread of the virus and the healthcare system's ability to deal with it.

These will draw on data gathered via 111 calls and Covid-19 test results.

The first should be made available to government decision-makers next week.

Four tech firms were named in the blog. Three are US-based: Microsoft, Google and Palantir. The fourth is Faculty AI, which is headquartered in London.

Amazon was not referenced but the BBC has confirmed that it is also involved. The NHS intends to add details of the company's role later.

Many of the details of the scheme were first reported by the BBC on Thursday.


Vulnerable groups

The blog confirmed that NHSX - a unit responsible for digital innovation - was heading the effort to harness a range of data sources, so that they could be used in combination.

The aim is to create dashboards that draw on the information as soon as it becomes available in order to help the government and health chiefs to:

Understand how the virus is spreading and identify risks to particularly vulnerable groups of people
Proactively increase resources in emerging hot spots
Ensure critical equipment is supplied to hospitals and other facilities in greatest need
Divert patients to the facilities best able to care for them based on demand, resources and staffing capacity
It added that the information would "largely" be drawn from existing data sources, and would be anonymised so that individual patients could not be identified. It said this would involve removing names, addresses and other identifiers, and replacing them with a "pseudonym".

In time, it said, the aim was to provide a separate dashboard that could be viewed by the public.


Regarding the tech firms, it said:

Microsoft had built a data store on its Azure cloud computing platform to hold the information in a single, secure location
Palantir was providing use of its Foundry software tool, which analyses records to deliver a "single source of truth"
Faculty AI was developing the dashboards, models and simulations that decision-makers would be presented with
Google's G Suite of productivity apps might be used to collect and aggregate real-time operational data such as occupancy levels and A&E capacity
"Microsoft remains steadfastly committed to supporting the NHS every way it can at this critical time," Cindy Rose, the firm's UK chief executive said.

Although not mentioned, Amazon's AWS division will also provide additional cloud computing facilities.

Privacy campaigners had raised concerns after details of the initiative leaked earlier in the week.

In particular, they questioned the involvement of Palantir, which has become controversial for its role in helping Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents track and deport undocumented immigrants from the US.



The NHS sought to offer reassurance on the matter by saying that the code and data involved would be made "open source wherever we can".

That means digital rights experts should be able to check the extent to which people's personal information has been protected. Data protection officials have warned in the past that the process of pseudonymisation can be reversed.

In addition, the health service stressed that it would remain in control of the records, and not the tech companies.

"Once the public health emergency situation has ended, data will either be destroyed or returned in line with the law and the strict contractual agreements that are in place between the NHS and partners," it added.

The blog made no mention of a contact-tracing app that NHSX is also believed to be developing.

Other nations have already deployed smartphone software to help identify recent contacts of people found to have Covid-19.

The Information Commissioner's Office indicated on Friday that such an effort would be lawful in the UK.

"Public bodies may require additional collection and sharing of personal data to protect against serious threats to public health," it said in a statement.

"Data protection law allows that to happen in the public interest, and also provides the safeguards for personal data that people would expect."

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
×