While having some cynicism over Tory deals regarding NHS data is understandable, and it reads like the agreement with DeepMind was not up to the standards expected, it seems to me less about a political party trying to "monetize" patients as it is an NHS trust trying to maximize what they can deliver in the context of limited resources.
I had a conversation with a representative from a medical analytics company just before Christmas who portrayed radiographers and others who would have their jobs threatened by advances in medical imaging analytics as being obstructionist. It's also a common trope to hear that the Trusts do endless proof-of-concepts and redevelop solutions other Trusts have already created due to political power dynamics.
While entering a situation where Google has monopolistic power over data or analytics would be undesirable, I think it's unreasonable to say that the only solution for the NHS is to feed more money into the present dysfunctional system. I personally find it quite distasteful that we can't bring in cheaper, more accurate solutions with fewer barriers just because they come from the private sector.
I had a conversation with a representative from a medical analytics company just before Christmas who portrayed radiographers and others who would have their jobs threatened by advances in medical imaging analytics as being obstructionist. It's also a common trope to hear that the Trusts do endless proof-of-concepts and redevelop solutions other Trusts have already created due to political power dynamics.
While entering a situation where Google has monopolistic power over data or analytics would be undesirable, I think it's unreasonable to say that the only solution for the NHS is to feed more money into the present dysfunctional system. I personally find it quite distasteful that we can't bring in cheaper, more accurate solutions with fewer barriers just because they come from the private sector.