Digital Health Unplugged

Joining Jordan Sollof on the latest Digital Health Unplugged Networks series episode are Helen Crowther, Ynez Symonds and Ian Bailey, in what is a continuation of the Rewired 2024 session ‘Community nursing – nursing in the digital age’. The session at Rewired explored how digital is being approached from different areas of the community including adult social care, GP, district nursing, and primary care. The panellists highlight the main areas of the discussion in Birmingham that resonated with them and their key takeaways, before explaining how work from a national perspective is going to support the increase of CNIOs in community settings, of which there are only six currently. The trio then discuss the benefits of digital nursing networks, and each give their take on what is next in terms of leading and driving change in community nursing. Guests: Helen Crowther, national digital primary care nurse lead, Digital Primary Care and CNIO Office at NHS England Ynez Symonds, chief nursing information officer (CNIO) AT Solent NHS Trust Ian Bailey, senior clinical director at EMIS and district nurse and Queen’s nurse The panellists are speaking in a personal capacity; therefore all views are their own and do not represent the views of their organisation.

On the latest episode of the Digital Health Unplugged Networks series, which is focused on developing the next generation of NHS chief information officers (CIOs), Jordan Sollof is joined by Abigail Harrison and Adam Ansell. The pair discuss what is needed to become an effective health CIO and how they envision the role of the NHS CIO changing and evolving in the next decade. They then highlight some strategies and initiatives to attract and retain top talent before suggesting how to better support the development of a diverse pool of digital leaders, ensuring representation from various backgrounds and perspectives. Lastly, the panellists shine a light on some effective approaches and programmes for mentoring and developing emerging leaders in healthcare technology, specifically aimed at preparing them for the role of a CIO within the NHS. Guests: Abigail Harrison, chief digital and infrastructure officer at Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust Adam Ansell, digital innovation programme manager at Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust The panellists are speaking in a personal capacity; therefore all views are their own and do not represent the views of their organisation.

In the second episode of the Digital Health Unplugged Networks series, Jordan Sollof is joined by Shera Chok, Ben Jeeves, Portia Eze and Andrew Griffiths to explore the dynamic landscape of career development in digital health. The panellists share valuable insights and guidance from their own experience for aspiring digital leaders and give their thoughts on how to navigate opportunities and advancement in digital careers, how to unlock your potential through training, and the power of networking. They then share some success stories of individuals who have risen to leadership positions in NHS digital roles, before giving their thoughts on Digital Workforce Strategy and what they hope will be in it, with its publication expected imminently. Guests: Dr Shera Chok, non-executive director at London Ambulance Service NHS Trust and co-founder and chair of The Shuri Network Ben Jeeves, associate CCIO at Midlands Partnership NHS FT and Digital Health Network CCIO Advisory Panel member Portia Eze, operational planning analyst at King’s College Hospital NHS FT and member of cohort one of Future Digital Leaders group Andrew Griffiths, chief executive of FedIP The panellists are speaking in a personal capacity; therefore all views are their own and do not represent the views of their organisation.

In the first episode of a new series for Digital Health Networks members, Jordan Sollof is joined by Dr Lia Ali, Simon Noel and Nick Black to look at the role of effective teams in deploying digital platforms in the NHS, with a particular focus on AI. The panellists explore the pivotal role of cohesive teams in successfully implementing digital platforms, focussing on AI applications within the NHS, and delve into the synergies between teamwork and the deployment of cutting-edge technology. They then discuss the importance of collaboration, skill diversity and efficient communication in maximising the benefits for AI for healthcare innovation and patient outcomes before highlighting common challenges in implementing digital platforms in the NHS, such as resistance to change. Lastly, each guest highlights how they envision the evolution of interdisciplinary collaboration and the deployment of digital platforms within the NHS. Guests: Dr Lia Ali, consultant psychiatrist, NHS England transformation directorate clinical advisor and Digital Health CCIO Network Advisory Panel member Simon Noel, CNIO at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and chair of the Digital Health Network CNIO Advisory Panel Nick Black, chief digital information officer at Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust and Digital Health CIO Network Advisory Panel member The panellists are speaking in a personal capacity; therefore all views are their own and do not represent the views of their organisation.

Sir Julian Hartley, CEO at NHS Providers and keynote speaker at Digital Health Rewired 2024, is the latest guest to join Jordan Sollof on Digital Health Unplugged. Hartley chats about his career journey to date before explaining why collaboration and peer learning is crucial when it comes to digital transformation. He then discusses the recent Times Health Commission report and the ten-point plan for health, which has a digital focus. Hartley also explains why it is difficult for organisations to advance the digital agenda in the system landscape before highlighting what NHS Providers are currently doing to help drive digital transformation in the NHS. Finally, he looks ahead to Digital Health Rewired in Birmingham next month and gives a flavour of what he will talk about in his keynote session. Hartley will be speaking on the Digital Transformation Stage on Wednesday 13th March at 3pm alongside Mike Bracken, founding partner of Public Digital, and Rachel Hope, director of Digital Prevention Services at NHS England. Rewired24 takes place at the NEC in Birmingham on 12-13 March. You can view the full programme here. To attend, register here.

Jordan Sollof is joined on Digital Health Unplugged by Rewired 2024 speaker Dr Jessica Morley, postdoctoral researcher at the Digital Ethics Center at Yale University. Morley runs through her career to date, including what motivated her to transition from working in the NHS and Department of Health and Social Care into academia and how this influenced her perspective on healthcare policy and data science. She then talks about OpenSAFELY and the Goldacre Review, two projects she was heavily involved in before explaining what her recently completed PhD is about and the key things that emerged from all of the research. Lastly, Morley looks ahead to the future of healthcare data science and AI policy before previewing her keynote session at Digital Health Rewired 2024. She will be speaking on the AI, Data and Analytics Stage on Wednesday 13th March at 2pm in a keynote session that also features Dr Nadine Hachach-Haram of Proximie and Professor Erika Denton of NHS England. Rewired24 takes place at the NEC in Birmingham on 12-13 March. You can view the full programme here. To attend, register here.

The next episode of Digital Health Unplugged takes a look at interoperability in practice and empowering improved health outcomes through connecting care records. Brought to you in partnership with Oracle Health, usual host Jordan Sollof hands the reigns over to Isaac Fredericks, director of relationships at Oracle Health. He is joined by Mark Westwood, GP at The Village Green Surgery (Great North Care Record), Jocelyn Palmer, programme director at One London, and Mike Seda, executive director at Tiger Institute for Health Innovation. The panel share insights in how they are using HIE to enhance and automate data sharing workflows and what the driving factors are behind each of their projects, including improving care coordination, supporting safe patient transfers, enhancing efficiencies, and achieving better patient outcomes. Other key focus areas in the episode include implementation strategies, collaborative working across different care settings, privacy and information governance considerations, technology and adoption challenges, operational management, and insights into future projects. Digital Health would like to thank its partner for this episode, Oracle Health.

In the first Digital Health Unplugged of 2024, Jordan Sollof is joined by Shuri Network members Tolu Awe and Felicia Akubue to highlight the benefits of being a part of the bursary programme and the insights gained at Digital Health Summer Schools 2023. Awe, delivery manager at NHS England, and Akubue, scrub nurse and group CQC compliance officer at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, discuss how being part of the Shuri Network bursary programme and attending Summer Schools last year impacted their professional development and career advancement in the digital health sector. The pair also pick out their best bits from Summer Schools in Birmingham and explain why they would recommend the opportunity to be on the bursary programme to other aspiring digital leaders within the Shuri Network or similar communities.

The Digital Health News team make a long-awaited return to the podcast with a slightly altered lineup as news editor Andrea Chipman makes her Unplugged debut alongside CEO and editor-in-chief Jon Hoeksma, and news reporter and host Jordan Sollof. The trio reflect on the inaugural Digital Health AI and Data, which took place 30-31 October at the Business Design Centre in London, discussing key themes and takeaways before focussing on the federated data platform (FDP) and the story published by Digital Health News last week. The news team then chat about other pieces of news, including the release of the latest OECD annual health report, the lack of mention of mental health in The King’s Speech, and some of the latest electronic patient record (EPR) go lives that have been covered.

Jordan Sollof is joined by Richard Scott, chief medical officer, acting CEO and soon to be the new interim CEO of Genomics England, to chat about the work the organisation does and how AI fits in ahead of speaking at the inaugural Digital Health AI and Data next week. Scott details his background and journey to Genomics England before explaining what the organisation does and the projects they are working on, including the Newborns Genomes Programme. He then highlights the importance of AI and how it can change the genomics landscape for the better and looks head to his session at Digital Health AI and Data, where he will be a keynote speaker alongside NHS England’s Dr Claire Bloomfield. The inaugural Digital Health AI and Data conference will take place 30-31 October at the Business Design Centre in London. Registration is available here. The session featuring Scott and Bloomfield, titled ‘Keynote: transforming healthcare through data and research’, will take place on Day One of the event at 9.30am on the Data and Research Stage.

Ahead of speaking in a session at the inaugural Digital Health AI and Data conference, Dione Rogers, Simon Noel and Julia Gudgeon join host Jordan Sollof on Digital Health Unplugged to speak about the impact of AI in nursing and midwifery. Rogers is deputy chief nurse and chief nursing informatics officer at Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Noel is CNIO at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the recently elected chair of the Digital Health CNIO Network Advisory Panel, and Gudgeon is national digital midwife lead, maternity at NHS England. The trio discuss the impact AI is already having on nursing and midwifery, examples in practice, major problems AI solves for nurses and midwives, key barriers and challenges and what more can be done in the present and future to better nursing and midwifery using AI. The inaugural Digital Health AI and Data conference will take place 30-31 October at the Business Design Centre in London. Registration is available here. The session featuring Rogers, Noel and Gudgeon, titled ‘Transforming Nursing and Midwifery: AI’s Impact on Care and Practice’, will take place on Day One of the event (30 October) at 3.30pm on the AI and Analytics Stage. You can find the written piece following the podcast recording on our website here.

Jordan Sollof is joined by Helen Balsdon, interim chief nursing information officer (CNIO) at NHS England, to discuss the hugely successful CNIO mentoring programme. Balsdon explains the reasons behind launching the programme before talking through the process of mentoring in terms of how the mentor-mentee relationships were established, how the monthly group meetings were structured and the specific areas of development that were targeted. She then discusses the key outcomes and learnings from the feedback received before looking ahead to how the programme may evolve and expand in the future. Finally, the NHSE interim CNIO shares success stories that have come from the programme and how it has positively impacted the career trajectories of some of the mentees.

Joining Jordan Sollof on this episode is Sylvia Stevenson and Dr Lia Ali to discuss women in digital healthcare leadership and give a sneak preview of a session on the topic that will take place at this year’s Digital Health Summer Schools in Birmingham. Stevenson, head of diversity, equity and inclusion development at Integrated Care 24, and Dr Ali, consultant psychiatrist at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and clinical advisor in the transformation directorate of NHS England, explain some key challenges women face in attaining leadership positions in digital healthcare. The pair then share some examples of innovative approaches that women have brought to digital healthcare leadership, before talking about the importance of the Digital Health Networks in empowering women. Finally, the Summer Schools speakers describe the ways in which men can be allies and advocates for women in digital healthcare leadership, before giving one final plug to their session taking place on Friday 28 July, titled ‘Shaping the future: women in digital healthcare leadership’. The session will be chaired by Ayesha Rahim and will feature a panel that also includes Aasha Cowey and Stacey Hatton alongside Sylvia and Lia. It will take place in Lecture Theatre 1 at 3.15pm, running until 4pm.

In an episode brought to you in partnership with Restore Digital, Jordan Sollof is joined by head of healthcare at the company Ted Reynolds to discuss its journey to the DCB0129 standard. Reynolds explains what the standard is and why it is vital to ensure clinical safety, before discussing what clinical risks there could be without working to this standard. He then shares his opinion on whether the standard should be mandatory, before focussing on a recent article he wrote for Digital Health about the value of patient data in population health management. Lastly, Reynolds talks about the collaboration with the NHS that is involved when working to the DCB0129 standard and looks ahead to what is next for both the NHS in terms of digitisation and for Restore Digital. Digital Health would like to thank its partner for this episode Restore Digital, the leading UK digitisation provider.

In the latest episode of Unplugged, host Jordan Sollof is joined by Ayesha Rahim and Alistair Cannon to delve deep into the world of CCIO mentoring. Rahim is a consultant psychiatrist, chief medical information officer at Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and clinical lead for digital mental health at NHS England, and Cannon is a psychiatrist core trainee at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and clinical research fellow at King’s College London. The pair explain why they took part in the CCIO mentoring programme, the challenges of maintaining a mentor-mentee relationship and how the mentoring as a whole helped them in their work going forward. The lack of clear pathways for young people and aspiring CCIOs to develop is then discussed before the guests give their top tips and advice for those considering participating in a mentoring programme.

This episode of Digital Health Unplugged, brought to you in partnership with Specops, focuses on all things cyber security in the NHS and healthcare sector. Host Jordan Sollof is joined by Darren James, head of internal IT and product specialist at Specops, to talk about the current cyber landscape in healthcare, including the common types of cyber threats that the NHS is facing on a regular basis. Darren then explains what the NHS can learn from previous cyber attacks, such as WannaCry and Advanced, before giving healthcare organisations some top tips and best practice on being as prepared as possible for an attack. Finally, the lack of national policy and the recent government cyber strategy is discussed before Darren brings out his crystal ball and attempts to predict what could happen in the next few years with regards to cyber security in the NHS. Digital Health would like to thank its partner for this episode Specops Software, a leading password management and authentication solution vendor.

Jordan Sollof is joined by Ling Lee, a GP and digital trailblazer fellow in Derby who is a member of the Shuri Network and had a place on the bursary scheme last year. Ling tells all about her experience as a Shuri Network bursary holder and the impact it has had on her professional development, before talking about last year’s Digital Health Summer Schools and how the event helped expand her digital health and data knowledge and skills. She then explains how the bursary programme has opened up new career opportunities in the digital health field and why it is so important that programmes like this that promote diversity and inclusion in digital health continue moving forward. Lastly, Ling gives her expert advice on why others who are considering applying for the programme should do so. Eligible members of the Shuri Network can apply for the Bursary here.

Jordan Sollof is joined by Becca Robinson, digital nurse at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, to discuss the benefits and positive career impacts of the 35 under 35 bursary programme, which Becca was a part of last year. Becca explains why she applied for the programme, her experiences of it, which included a paid-for place at Digital Health Summer Schools, and how it opened up new career opportunities and prepared her for the new role she has been offered at Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust. Becca then talks about transitioning from a staff nurse to a digital nurse before giving valuable advice to fellow young professionals who are considering applying for the now renamed Future Digital Leader programme. The programme provides a year’s membership to one of the FEDIP Professional Bodies and paid-for places at the Digital Health Networks Summer Schools 2023, which takes place 27th -28th July at the University of Birmingham. The deadline to submit your applications is Wednesday 10th May 2023. To apply, click here.

In the first Unplugged episode on chief nursing information officer (CNIO) mentoring, Jordan Sollof chats to Amy Vercell, chief clinical information officer for nursing and AHPs at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, and Peter White, CNIO at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital. The pair discuss the importance of mentorship in the nursing profession, particularly in senior leadership roles such as CNIO and CCIO, and how nurses go about finding the right mentor for them. The discussion then moves onto how CCIOs and CNIOs can balance responsibilities of mentoring whilst managing their own professional development and the common misconceptions they face when it comes to mentoring. Finally, Amy and Peter give their thoughts on whether there are enough mentorship programmes and clear pathways of support for nurses, before sharing some success stories and examples of how mentoring has helped them or other mentees in their career.

In the latest episode of Unplugged, Jordan Sollof is joined by Misbah Mahmood, deputy chief midwifery information officer at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, to chat about her midwifery career. After reaching the milestone of 10 years as a qualified midwife, with five of those as a digital midwife, Misbah discusses the importance of digital midwives and the role they play in helping digital transformation in the NHS. Misbah, who is the first-ever DCMIO at her trust, also talks about how life-changing her involvement in both the Florence Nightingale Digital Leadership Scholarship and the CNIO Network Advisory Panel has been and what her personal ambitions are for the future. Lastly, Misbah looks ahead to Digital Health Rewired 2023, where she is chairing and speaking in sessions, including a big debate titled ‘What’s in a Name?’ as part of the Digital Nursing Summit. You can find out what else the Digital Nursing Summit has to offer, as well as the rest of the Rewired 2023 programme, here.