Matt Hancock, new Health and Social Care Secretary, announced that information technology would be among his prime subject of focus for the betterment of National Health Service.

In his first speech after being appointed to the post, he revealed a financial backing of about $540 million from the UK for hospital IT. Moreover, an additional $98 million was promised for shifting the trusts that rely on paper to electronic health records.

Hancock said his foremost three priorities for the NHS were "workforce, technology and prevention," and added that the new funding was crucial to enhance the competence and confidence of providers and the attainment of patients.

"You know better than me the pace at which modern medicine moves and so it’s crucial that your training looks to incorporate new technology that can save you time and offer better care," he said, in a speech delivered to staffers at West Suffolk hospital. "I want to make sure you have the access to the skills you need to make the most of these new opportunities."

"Technology and data innovation offers an opportunity to move past this binary approach," he said.

He emphasized the need to improve patient safety with personalized barcodes, enhance communication via mobile technology and develop clinical operations using voice recognition software.

He is well aware that incorporating technology "requires upfront investment." He said the new funding of half a billion pounds could "help jump-start the rollout of innovative technology aimed at improving care for patients and supporting staff to embrace technology-driven health and care.”