The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), the ministerial department responsible for national health policy and the NHS, has injected over £5 million in remote working devices to enhance accessible health and social care in underprivileged areas throughout the UK.
The data was retrieved under the Freedom of Information Act (FOI), and analysed by the Parliament Street think tank, observing the spending of the Department of Health over the past three financial years.
In total, DHSC spent £5,119,717 on 7,246 laptops, tablets and mobile phones for staff and regional practices across the UK.
Laptops accounted for 70% of the expenditure, with over £3.5 million poured into 4,312 devices. Mobile phones also took up a sizable portion of the spending, making up 28% of the budget on 2,806 devices, while tablets were far less common, accounting for 2% and 128 devices.
Warning of the cyber-risks, Andy Ward, VP International at Absolute Security, said: “For many remote working devices, essential security tools are not always effective. As highlighted in our Cyber Resilience Index, Endpoint Protection Platforms and network access security applications on managed PCs fail to operate effectively 24% of the time.
“Cyber-resilience must be a top priority for organisations, especially with staff who work remotely. This includes having comprehensive cyberdefence measures that integrate reactive, preventative and recovery procedures.”
Just over half of the spending came in financial year 21-22, with a major injection from the department into remote working to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, helping to facilitate work-from-anywhere.
It forms part of the department’s commitment to harnessing a well-equipped healthcare workforce to support communities across the UK who require the best health and social care service.
The investment is part of DHSC’s initiative to establish an affordable, high-quality adult social care system and enhance national healthcare services.
Sachin Agrawal, Managing Director for Zoho UK, said:“The onset of work-from-anywhere, catalysed by the pandemic, is still having a significant impact on working models today, and it’s great to see the Department of Health and Social Care equipping staff with the tech they need to facilitate this. The initiative not only supports the workforce, but also enhances the overall efficiency and responsiveness of healthcare delivery across the UK and helps to improve health and social outcomes in underprivileged areas.
“This investment should form part of a wider strategy, providing employees with the latest software applications and digital skills training to fully understand capabilities to maximise productivity and deliver critical services, regardless of where they are logging on from.”
Michael Thornton, Senior Director, Public Sector at Investigo, part of The IN Group, said: “The Department of Health and Social Care’s recent investment in remote working devices is a clear step in the right direction towards bolstering employment opportunities in the public sector. While this investment is impressive and necessary to support remote working across the UK, we must see this as a wider commitment in investing in our workforce.
“Strong leadership and direction in the public sector are crucial for attracting and retaining the top talent, which translates to better service to communities across the UK. Therefore, we must prioritise training and upskilling to produce the most productive workforce in the public sector.”