Tag: matt hancock
Tech Digest daily round up: Meet the robots running Tokyo Olympics
The Olympic Games may be taking place a year late because of the pandemic, but it will still be a chance for host nation Japan to show off its world-class robotics technology. And despite spectators being kept away from the events by Covid restrictions, there will still be a string of robotic participants to help run the Tokyo…
Covid-19 app finally available in England and Wales
Users will be told to self-isolate if the app determines they are at high risk of being infected After months of delays and millions of pounds spent on a previous app that was pulled shortly after testing in the Isle of Wight, the NHS has finally launched its official Covid-19 app in England and Wales. Called the…
Instagram probed on impact of photo filters on body image
Senior Instagram executives have said that the social network is looking at the impact appearance-changing photo filters could have on young people’s well-being. The Facebook-owned platform has come under increased scrutiny following a number self-harm incidents. Karina Newton, head of public policy, and Vishal Shah, head of product at Instagram, were asked about the efforts…
Social media bosses to discuss suicide and self harm content with the Samaritans
Representatives from social media giants Facebook, Google, Snapchat and Instagram have been summoned by the Government to meet the Samaritans over plans to rid the internet of content promoting self-harm videos and suicide Health Secretary Matt Hancock has convened the summit and will ask tech giants to commit to developing ways that might identify and…
Use technology to reduce loneliness among older people, suggests Vodafone study
GPs and health service practitioners should be able to prescribe technology such as wearable devices and monitoring systems to tackle loneliness among older people, a report has recommended. It is estimated that around 1.5 million aged 50 and over suffer from chronic loneliness – not only impacting a person’s health and well-being, but also costing…
Virtual GP service gets green light to expand out of London
A virtual GP service has been given the green light to expand to a second major city after health leaders dropped their objections. NHS England confirmed it had found a solution to previous concerns around access to immunisation and screening programmes for GP at Hand patients and lifted its objections to it expansion. The decision…
Robots and AI will give doctors more time with patients, claims NHS report
Robots, artificial intelligence and smart speakers will unburden doctors to give them more time with patients, according to an NHS report on the pending technological “revolution” in healthcare. Rapid advances will also be spurred on by developments in the ability to sequence individuals’ genomes, the entirety of their genetic data, according to the “groundbreaking” review…
Instagram boss says site ‘not yet where it needs to be’ on self-harm and suicide content
Instagram boss Adam Mosseri has said the social media platform is “not yet where it needs to be” on its handling of content around self-harm and suicide. The head of the Facebook-owned platform said a comprehensive review had been launched by the firm into its policies around such content, and it would begin adding “sensitivity…
Social media firms must ‘purge’ harmful content, warns Health Secretary
Social media firms need to “purge” the internet of harmful content that promotes self-harm and suicide, the Health Secretary has said. Matt Hancock delivered the message after the father of a teenager who took her own life said Instagram “helped kill my daughter”. The minister has written to a number of internet giants following the death of…
Robots and DNA coding to revolutionise surgery, commission says
Image: PA New developments in robotics and DNA coding will revolutionise surgery by making it safer and less traumatic for millions of patients, an independent commission predicts. The Commission on the Future of Surgery said advances in genomics could mean major cancer operations become redundant because patients can be offered…
