Minister measures health for Manchester’s digital health revolution
08 Mar 2016
Life Sciences Minister George Freeman MP opened the new home to the Health eResearch Centre of the Farr Institute at the University on 8 March, creating a North of England hub for some of the world’s best digital and health research
Vaughan House will be one of the leading venues in the country to develop new technologies that can empower patients to understand and take control over their own healthcare through smartphones, wearable devices and healthcare records.
From citizen science experiments such as Cloudy with a chance of pain (arthritis and weather) to NHS-linked projects such as Clintouch (mental health symptoms and medication), HeRC is helping to connect citizens, patients and care-services for better prevention and care through technology.
Academic, healthcare and business leaders have welcomed the minister to see how Manchester is leading the way in the digital health revolution.
George Freeman also endorsed Greater Manchester Academic Health Science Network’s DataWell project at CityLabs. The project is linking data across different health care organisations to provide an innovative solution to improving both direct clinical care and how patients access information about their healthcare. He also saw how the Manchester Science Partnership is building a new concentration of businesses at the junction of NHS and University sites to incubate growth in the digital health sector.
The Minister said: “It is fantastic to see Manchester playing a central role in developing new 21st century innovations, supported by our annual investment of £1bn through the National Institute for Health Research. By shifting the digital power to patients we are allowing them to monitor their own health through things like wearable devices and apps.
“The Academic Health Science Network is helping to drive forward the Northern Powerhouse in Manchester which is supporting the local needs of the health and social care services.”
Ian Greer, Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, said: “Vast amounts of data are collected every day by health care organisations across Greater Manchester. Used together and responsibly, this is a mine of information which can improve public services, develop new treatments and save time and money.
“Greater Manchester is a leader in this emerging field, so we were very happy that the minister is speaking to us and learning how what we are doing here can be applied further afield.”