What if the word "solution" is generating more problems than it solves? In this revealing conversation, Rachel Hope, Director of Digital Prevention Services for the NHS, challenges our fundamental thinking about technology and transformation in healthcare.
Rachel is building the architecture for a new kind of health service - one that's digital-first and prevention-focused. With stark statistics showing a 19-year gap in healthy life expectancy between the most and least deprived areas, and 40% of the NHS budget spent treating preventable conditions, the need for radical change is clear.
The conversation digs into the role of human-centred design in creating effective services. Rachel explains how research has transformed their understanding of user needs, revealing unexpected insights like the importance of enabling couples to book vaccination appointments together. By embedding digital specialists alongside policy and operational teams, they're breaking down traditional silos and creating more responsive, intuitive services.
Rachel envisions a future where digital services are so intuitive that "you don't even notice how great they are, unless you remember how bad it was before" - making healthcare as accessible as online banking while freeing up clinicians to focus on care rather than administration.
Whether you're working in healthcare, interested in digital transformation, or simply care about creating more effective public services, this conversation offers fresh insights into how we can rethink our approach to complex problems.

Problems Worth Solving is brought to you by Healthia, the collaborative service design consultancy for health, care and public services.
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