Telecoms Tech attended a revealing discussion with Bob Gann, Head of International Business Development at NHS England, about the measures the NHS is taking to reduce costs and become more connected.
Machine-to-machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions have long been evaluated by industry observers from a vertical perspective, with healthcare consistently a leading sector. While some analysts predict that horizontal, cross-industry applications will gain ground, healthcare remains a core area where connected technologies demonstrate clear value.
Bob Gann outlined current developments and emphasized the urgency of the challenges the NHS faces.
“We need to do this because we have an unsustainable challenge in the NHS at the moment,” Gann said.
The statistics are stark. Approximately 40% of patients who attend accident and emergency departments in the UK are discharged without receiving any treatment. Additionally, one in five GP appointments are for what Gann described as “entirely minor” conditions that patients could often manage themselves.
That represents a significant waste of both time and public funds.
Connected healthcare M2M solutions are frequently portrayed as a practical remedy—helping patients manage conditions more effectively while easing financial and operational pressures on health services.
Gann also pointed out a recent paradigm shift in how these solutions are being used and perceived.
“Until recently, these kinds of M2M initiatives have been very much confined to specialist health environments,” he explained. “But the real revolution now, and most commentators would agree, is that these activities are moving out of specialist settings and becoming ubiquitous consumer devices.”
There are numerous consumer-facing products that illustrate this shift: smartphone apps that let patients photograph skin conditions for remote dermatology review; sleep-tracking applications; and software that estimates heart rate by analyzing facial micro-variations in blood flow.
With tens of thousands of health-related apps available and millions of downloads annually, the trend is clearly more than a passing fad.
Perhaps the most important sign of this change, according to Gann, is growing acceptance by regulators and clinicians.
“We are now beginning to see regulation,” he said. “Some of these apps qualify as medical devices and need to be regulated, for example by the FDA.”
“We’re also starting to see GPs prescribe apps, and that is happening here in the UK.”
Gann highlighted another critical factor: the value of connectivity and social features in improving healthcare outcomes.
“These devices become truly powerful when they are connected,” he noted. “Connectivity allows patients to monitor their own readings and enables data to be shared with third parties when appropriate.”
That ability to collect and transmit data points toward a more distributed, data-rich future for healthcare delivery.
At the start of his talk, Gann posed a pointed question: “Why do I have to go to a GP to get my test results?” Although rhetorical, the question underscores a broader reassessment of traditional care pathways. Health remains an area where privacy and data security must be treated with particular care.
Nonetheless, patient behavior suggests a growing willingness to use mobile tools for health purposes. If many people are comfortable sending a photo of a skin issue via an app, it suggests that mobile confidentiality concerns may be less of a barrier than sometimes assumed—provided that appropriate safeguards and regulations are in place.
Connected healthcare technologies present a meaningful opportunity to reduce unnecessary appointments, streamline care delivery, and empower individuals to manage their health. As regulatory frameworks mature and clinical acceptance grows, these tools are likely to play an increasingly important role in a more efficient, connected NHS.