Vodafone forms strategic alliance with Deloitte

Vodafone has announced a new strategic alliance with Deloitte to accelerate the adoption of connected healthcare through the launch of the Vodafone Centre for Health with Deloitte. This virtual centre will bring together Vodafone's connected health solutions with Deloitte's healthcare consulting experience to enable many more people to access healthcare when and where they need it. 

The strategic alliance will see digital, technology and healthcare professionals from the two organisations working together to simplify access to connected healthcare and solutions for both patients and healthcare professionals. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of connectivity to deliver critical services such as education and healthcare. Technology can be used to make the delivery of healthcare services more efficient for providers and more inclusive for patients. 

A recent survey by the Vodafone Institute reveals that 92% of European citizens interviewed think the health sector needs urgent support through the EU's Recovery and Resilience Facility[1] (RRF). The Vodafone Centre for Health with Deloitte can accelerate this support through innovation and the enhanced digitalisation of healthcare in hospitals, in the community and at home.  Digitalisation is a key goal for the EU and many governments as they ‘build back better’ following the pandemic.

Commenting on the alliance announcement, Lucien Engelen, Global Strategic Healthcare Innovation Advisor Erasmus MC, Laurentius MC, and HIMSS said: “Digitalisation is making its way to patients and professionals to become normalized.  It will provide a significant contribution to the accessibility and sustainability of healthcare now and in the future.”

Professor Shafi Ahmed, Consultant Colorectal Surgeon, Barts Health NHS Trust added: “Covid has demonstrated the incredible value of collaboration between healthcare providers and industry partners to help redesign and reimagine the patient experience and improve outcomes. Connected health is vital in delivering more accessible, smart, remote and data driven personalised care.”

Vodafone already connects more than 20 million healthcare devices globally though IoT, AI, 5G and Edge Computing to the healthcare sector. For example, Vodafone and Universitätsklinikum Düsseldorf (UKD) are building Europe's first 5G campus network at the university hospital.

Vodafone Group CEO Nick Read said: “This strategic alliance will act as an accelerator of digital solutions to support the transformation of healthcare services and to help the societies we serve. As a digital enabler, we want to bring Vodafone’s technology and platforms, coupled with Deloitte’s depth of sector experience, to support the digitalisation of hospitals, telemedicine, virtual medical consultations, and remote solutions. As governments build back stronger, Vodafone will be there to enable their ambition.”

Deloitte has 24,000 skilled professionals in its global Life Sciences and Healthcare team and a proven track record of providing best-in-class service to healthcare organisations faced with the rapid adoption of cutting-edge digital healthcare solutions, including delivering medical supplies by drone and using IoT technology to monitor patients' feeding tubes.  Over the next decade, Deloitte predicts that connected healthcare technology will see around a third of outpatient visits and half of GP consultations conducted virtually.

Richard Houston, CEO of Deloitte North and South Europe said: “The pandemic has widened inequalities within our society and the provision of healthcare is not as accessible or as inclusive as it should be. We want to change that, and technology will play a critical role. Over the next two decades, healthcare as we know it will be completely transformed, with digital and connected healthcare solutions providing new and more efficient ways to diagnose, treat and support patients. Deloitte and Vodafone will be at the heart of this - working together to do so at scale, using our digital skills to transform healthcare provision for everyone.”

Both Vodafone and Deloitte are committed to using their networks and capabilities to improve access and quality of care worldwide. Starting across Europe, the Vodafone Centre for Health with Deloitte will then expand its capabilities to other geographies.