LOCAL authorities and NHS bodies from across Shropshire came together to look at how digital technology could benefit health and social care services across the country.

At an event held at Theatre Severn in Shrewsbury on Thursday, authorities took a look at how the Microsoft suite of tools could benefit the country, as the use of digital technology in health and social care has been shown to improve quality, efficiency and patient experience.

Mark Brandreth, chief executive of the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital was in favour the proposals for a more digital approach and thinks it would help people access services more easily.

He said: "Digital Technology offers a real opportunity – we can improve the lives of the patients and citizens, making it easier for them to access services from our organisations.

"We already have examples of video consultations, apps to support rehabilitation and tools that monitor people’s health from home but working together we can do even more."

At the event, organisations were shown how other areas of the country have used digital technology to improve services such as using a single data and reporting tool, which would give clinicians and other health and care professionals the information they need to make better decisions about patient and resident care.

Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STW STP), the event's organiser, showcased the range of Microsoft products on offer.

Sir Neil McKay, chair of the STW STP, said: "This event is a great example of how STW STP is bringing people together from across organisations in health and social care to develop and share ideas.

"The event was a huge success and it was great to know so many health and care professionals from across the county coming together to explore how digital technology has the potential to transform ways of working and improve care for people across Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin in the future."