Faster than a speeding bullet…
Like you, I grow tired of the routine comparisons made between Superman and me. I have rarely worn my underwear over my trousers and I have never been to Kansas. Moreover, if you have ever stepped foot in a London phone box, you will understand that it is usually a more attractive proposition to allow Lex Luthor to get away with whatever dastardly scheme is afoot, rather than get changed in that …
We have the technology
It is a long time now since I was convinced that I was bionic in some way. I do not know if many children in the 70’s and 80’s stared at the veins in their arms wondering if they were actually wires, but this was the inevitable legacy of the Six Million Dollar man TV series.
Six million dollars would not buy a League One central defender today, let alone be enough to finance a bionic cyborg superhero. Thankfully, it is just as well.
As a shadow health minister I’ve done a lot of work studying the emerging science, art and practice of medical wearable technologies. Jawbone, Misfit Shine, and most other personal data capture devices on the market right now and I am convinced that we are on the cusp of a healthcare revolution.
Coma chameleon
Gil Scott-Heron was right, the revolution will not be televised, but it will almost certainly be live-streamed. Data applications are driving a social revolution that is set to rapidly transform the use and delivery of healthcare services across the world and it is set to have a profound impact upon the National Health Service.
How? Take me as an example. Despite being the last son of Krypton, two weeks before the last general election, I was heading for a coma, taken to intensive care and diagnosed with untreated Type 1 diabetes. Long story short, my health and life are now determined by data obtained through regular blood glucose readings, no big deal, and my response to those readings: the insulin I inject, the exercise I take – lots – and the carbohydrate and sugars I ingest – little. Sugar and kryptonite, it turns out, have a similar effect upon me.
My Jawbone tells me how long I have run or walked, how long I have slept and the type of sleep I have had. Soon it will tell me my heart rate and more. This data is captured on my iPhone and I respond to it.
It is possible now for my blood glucose readings to be monitored by a contact lens or a chip beneath my skin so that I can see the real time data at any time, in real time. I want us to move to a situation whereby I can grant my GP, pharmacist and anyone else I like access to that data. This would reduce visits to both, streamline the dispensing of medicines, create a more efficient and effective system and place me at the centre of the care I receive.
Guess what? No legislation, no act of parliament could achieve or enable this. Nor can it control this eruption of innovation or the speed at which it moves. Imagine the parliament of the fifteenth century trying to legislate for the introduction of Caxton’s printing press. Imagine if Tim Berners-Lee thought, ‘This internet thing is a good idea but it really needs the backing of an early day motion’ … You get the picture.
The use of personal data by individuals with regard to the state’s provision of public services is going to happen, this is not a discretionary choice; it is unavoidable and it should be embraced and championed by the left. Get ready – this will change the way we do politics forever.
House of Cards Series 3
Disappointing wasn’t it?
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Jamie Reed is member of parliament for Copeland. He writes The Last Word column on Progress and tweets @jreedmp
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Photos: Andrew Becraft, James Burchill, House of Cards