Whether human history is advancing from a beginning point to an end point – teleologically - or is merely cyclical is a debate that has been going on between historians, scientists and technologists for some time now. For instance, the 20th century was a period of rapid and unprecedented change with the enormous progress being made in modern medicine, science and technology having a profound affect on the way humans lived their lives. Life expectancies in the West soared, global travel became a reality, technology empowered millions of people to work in with their minds rather than their bodies. However some would argue that the world has been shaped by the same impulses and needs as it ever was. Aldous Huxley the British science fiction writer and author of ‘Brave New World’ captures this sense of things being simultaneously always and never new. He said ‘The charm of history and its enigmatic lesson consist in the fact that, from age to age, nothing changes and yet everything is completely different.’

Technology sits at the heart of this debate, facilitating huge changes in our lives. But when you consider the impact of technological innovation upon the way we are, the changes might not be as seismic as they first appear. Indeed a recent survey commissioned by BT expresses the constant nature of human behaviour - which any amount of technology will never change.

BT's 21st Century Life Index Report, which was released this week, examines the digital world as it stands today compared with the visions of the public 10 years ago. It found that the proportion of the population spending more than five hours per week online has doubled in the last 10 years from just 24 per cent in 1998 to 57 per cent in 2008. We can expect this figure to grow by the same order of magnitude over the next 10 years. This is new: what is not is what people are doing in there online time. According to the report people are spending more time online to stay in touch with loved ones and to do some shopping. Not so new.

Other interesting stats include the fact that three quarters of us now use the internet to keep in touch compared to 44% ten years ago. There is also the unexpected impact of technology, which despite its benefits can sometimes make us feel alone and disconnected: just over two-thirds of those polled preferred speaking face-to-face rather than using any technology to stay in touch, compared to 51% ten years ago.

Alnoor Samji, Director of Ipsos MORI, said: "The results from BT's 21st Century Life Index Report reveal how consumers have steadily shifted their communications habits over the last 10 years from exclusively voice and mobile, to email on the move - as well as much greater interaction with social networking sites - to help them stay in touch with friends and family." I for one rather like the fact that the use of new and complex technology is driven by something as basic and timeless as keeping in touch with your friends. Same as it ever was.

By Sam Ingleby, Programme Manager

An announcement by John Hutton MP, Business Minister, last week gives an extra 4.5 million parents in Britain the right to request flexible working.  The announcements follows the publication of the Walsh Report, an independent review into the right to request flexible working. The change will now enable all parents whose children are under 16 to request, but  does not guarantee, flexible working. The extension was mentioned as part of the Draft Queen’s Speech  published last week but there is still debate about whether the implementation will be staggered or fully implemented immediately.

There is certainly an attitudinal shift occurring around flexible working and the benefits it brings to the employee and employer. For many technology companies, flexible working and the opportunities it brings is a positive move.  The ability to offer employees a working environment anywhere, anytime adds to their attraction as an employer as well as being able to service their customers requirements around the clock. However, it is important for all companies that the request of all employees is balanced against the deadlines and requirements of customers.

Flexible working is a useful and relevant business process that can add real productivity value to businesses and access to talent and skills that were not available before.  However, we must ensure that it is not just seen as only a ‘female or family friendly’ policy but one open to all in employment.  If the policy is handled appropriately it can ensure a happy and dedicated workforce and a productive and competitive business.  The Walsh report provides new and important issues and moves the debate forward but any continuing progress, in relating to any form of flexible working, can only be successful if a fair balance between the needs of the employer and the employee can be maintained.

By Carrie Hartnell, Transformational Business Programme Manager

The Intellect Annual Dinner held last week was one of those occasions when it felt great to be part of the UK's technology industry. Sitting amongst 500 fellow technologists, talking about the many interesting aspects of our work, I felt truly proud. This feeling only got stronger when our President's Report was launched.

Did you know that we provide a bigger percentage of UK GDP than the transport and agricultural industries combined? Or that one in twenty of the working population is an IT professional? Or more importantly that the technology sector generates over £35 billion of Gross Value Add (GVA) to the UK economy? I also found out that while the sector is performing relatively well at present - we are expecting to grow 1-2% above GDP - there are some things we need to pay much greater attention to if we want to be part of a great industry in a few years time.

Identified as one of the six booster areas in the President’s report, the issue of skills and the workforce is not just a concern for our industry; it also affects the citizen as increasingly we see a world where a degree of IT literacy is necessary. Currently employment in the IT industry is growing five times faster than the UK average, which is a good indicator of the favourable growth rates we are seeing. However technology-related education is declining rapidly, leaving the industry with a shrinking talent pool to hire from. It is vital for the industry that more is done to encourage students into STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects. Equally the industry must work collaboratively with schools, universities and curriculum developers to train and retain the brightest. Indeed we are seeing recognition of the importance of this issue as John Denham, the secretary of state for innovation, universities and skills, is today announcing £200m in capital spending over the next three years to prevent an acute shortage of skills in strategic sectors of the economy.

Improving the UK’s communications infrastructure is another booster high on the agenda. Over the centuries the UK economy has benefited from extensive transport infrastructure, helping drive economic growth. Today a world class communications infrastructure is the cornerstone for any leading 21st century knowledge economy. Ensuring the UK has access to next generation broadband will be key in keeping the economy competitive in a global environment.  A concerted and innovative approach will be required to achieve the right balance of investment incentives and competition that will enable a market led transition to next generation broadband.

These were just a couple of boosters that struck me, the others were:

· Higher professional standards in the sector and its workforce
· Improved trust and confidence in the sectors ability to deliver value securely
· Better exploitation of innovation
· A continually improving relationship with other sectors

The boosters had succeeded in hitting home the point that we cannot rest on our laurels. This is a great industry to be in, but unless we all play our part to nurture it, we run the risk of loosing our edge. It was a great night to be a part of the technology industry, but the boosters certainly left us all with food for thought.

By Carrie Hartnell, Transformational Business Programme Manager

As with most of these events the title of this month’s EU ‘eHealth without frontiers’ conference in Slovenia seemed to focus more on ‘ill health without frontiers’.  The UK is clearly not alone, with representatives from across member states describing the same challenges time and time again: a rapidly ageing population and the growth of chronic diseases like COPD (or smoker’s lung), combined with rising citizen expectations and an ever mobile population. 

The sharing of electronic health records (EHRs) and interoperability (technical and semantic) are becoming increasingly critical to delivering both value for money and more personalised healthcare services. These solutions are essentially about one thing – cooperation.  Ultimately, the only way to deal with the healthcare challenges of the future will be through patient-doctor partnerships that provide tailor-made healthcare delivery, doctors working with other doctors (within and across borders), and computers communicating with other computers (within and across borders).

There was much talk of the European Commission’s Smart Open Services (SOS) programme, a three-year plan involving 12 member states and 31 suppliers cooperating around a shared goal – to enable the interoperable sharing of electronic patient summaries and e-prescribing across borders (and with, I should add, patient consent).  What’s important about the SOS project is that it has the potential to revolutionise healthcare by establishing the basis for a future pan-European eHealth infrastructure, supporting integrated care and improving patient safety.   

Telehealth was also a major focus of the debate. Case studies presented from Slovenia, Greece and Finland demonstrated technology’s role in compensating for shortages in health professionals and increasing patient choice through personalisation.  Dr Andrew McCormick (Permanent Secretary, Department of Health and Social Services and Public Safety, Northern Ireland) gave an overview of Northern Ireland’s plans to implement telehealth solutions on a national scale.  I am sure all eyes will be on this programme, which has earmarked £46m to be spent on telemedicine services for chronic disease management (CDM) and aims to have 5000 people on remote patient monitoring by 2011.

Ultimately technology will provide the tools that enable society to look away from traditional disease-centric models of health management and more towards self-empowered health management. But, technology cannot achieve this vision alone – cooperation will be essential in ensuring that the UK and other member states are able to meet the challenges presented by 21st healthcare.  And less tangibly, just imagine the social benefits that can be achieved through cooperation on this scale.

By Melissa Frewin and John Hoggard – Transformational Government

The AA published a survey of nearly 17,500 members this week reporting that 86% of their members do not trust the government to deliver a fair system of road pricing, though 42% of members support the principle of a pay-as-you-go system. With increasingly negative press surrounding the debate, it is not surprising that the AA/Populus came to the conclusion they did.

There are a number of aspects to the road pricing debate such as public acceptability, trust in government and an understanding of the technological capabilities. The survey reports that 86% of respondents would not trust the government to keep its promise to introduce reductions in fuel duty or road tax as a means of offsetting the costs of road pricing. The government will need to take steps to improve public opinion on the matter by clearly setting out their goals and continuing to engage with industry at the earliest opportunity.

Road pricing is a sensitive issue. Given rising fuel and road taxes as well as the increasing cost of transportation in general, people are unwilling to see yet another tax thrust upon them.

Some transport economists, planners and academics see road pricing is a means of tackling congestion. The Stern Review and the Eddington Study both promote the economic and environmental benefits of road pricing. However, the government appears to have backed away from a national road pricing strategy and instead is leaving the decision to local government. Central government is encouraging local authorities to look at implementing road pricing schemes through the DfT’s Transport Innovation Fund (TIF). Manchester City Council and Cambridgeshire City Council have both submitted a TIF bid and are awaiting the government’s decision.

The AA/Populus survey reports that 51% of respondents are strongly opposed to local road pricing schemes. In spite of the public opposition to local road pricing, it would seem it is here to stay. The London Congestion Charging system has been running for 5 years and in all likelihood Manchester and Cambridgeshire will implement road pricing schemes in the future.

Industry has a central role to play in ensuring that road-pricing schemes operate effectively, particularly as ICT will prove essential in underpinning secure, acceptable and successful schemes. It is clear that the technology designed to offer safe, secure and efficient options for road pricing schemes is already available. Manchester City Council is currently looking at the Tag and Beacon system, Automatic Number Plate Recognition and Global Navigation Satellite Systems. The Council is working towards a planned introduction date of 2013.

Intellect is keen to engage with government, local authorities and other key stakeholders as early as possible to ensure that the approach taken by local authorities is the most appropriate. This will enable stakeholders to understand the future requirements, drivers and develop appropriate strategies.

It is important that a more accurate picture of technology, and its success in helping to deliver government objectives, is presented to both public authorities and the general public.

By Carla Baker, Programme Manager