Leadership Summit to explore building partnerships between digital leaders

The newly elected leaders of the CCIO, CIO and CNIO Networks will meet to explore how they can strengthen the voice of local NHS digital leaders at Digital Health’s Autumn Leadership Summit in October. 

With important new NHS digital policy guidance on ‘What Good Looks Like’ and ‘Who pays for What’ published this week, the Summit will provide an opportunity for local NHS IT leaders to network, connect with the authors of the new policies, and reflect on a period of unprecedented digital change and consider how together they can best meet the challenges now ahead. 

The programme for the Summit, which is taking place on 7-8 October 2021, includes presentations, round tables and workshop sessions on how to achieve digital transformation at scale, build board business cases, measure benefits and meaningful digital maturity.    

National speakers include the leadership team from NHSX with Simon Eccles (CCIO and deputy CEO), Sonia Patel (CIO), Natasha Philips (CNIO) and Professor Jonathan Benger (chief medical officer).

They will also be joined by Neil Bennet who is the CISO at NHS Digital.   

Local leaders on the programme include NHS CEOs talking about their future digital strategies and the elected network chairs: Lisa Emery, CIO The Royal Marsden and chair of the CIO Network; James Reed, CCIO Birmingham and Solihull MH FT and chair of the CCIO Network; and Sarah Hanbridge, CNIO The Christie NHS FT and chair of the CNIO Network.

Lisa, James and Sarah will explore how to further strengthen an influential independent voice on behalf of local leaders to help better inform national policy and build partnership and collaborations in the field. 

Lisa said: “I am looking forward to connecting with colleagues from right across healthcare, [there’s] so much to reflect on since the last time we met in this way. There are successes and challenges to share, and much to get our teeth into in terms of building on the rapid acceleration in digital transformation over the last 18 months or so in particular.” 

She added that the Summit will provide a valuable opportunity to explore the new ‘What Does Good Look Like’ guidance at the summit, in particular “how we as a profession can work with our central NHS colleagues to ensure that becomes a living framework”. 

Sarah Hanbridge, CCIO at The Christie NHS FT says the event is a “fantastic opportunity to re-energise, to think differently”.  

“I am in no doubt the event will provide a reflective and creative space to help discuss the future challenges, the lessons learnt to date and how these discussions will then inform us of the priorities, which will then really start to shape and influence digital health policy,” she said. 

“I am so excited to be re-connecting with people at the in-person event. Most importantly for me as the newly appointed CNIO chair of the Digital Health Network I am really keen to meet as many local, regional and national leaders during the two-day event to collaborate work together to represent and speak on behalf of the members nationally.” 

The two-day retreat will also celebrate excellence in NHS IT leadership with the return of the Digital Health Awards gala ceremony – which includes the CCIO, CIO, CNIO, Future Digital Leader and Digital CEO of the Year categories – taking place in the evening of day one. 

The summit is open to those either working in the NHS, public or charitable sectors, in academia or sponsors.  

Spaces are extremely limited with a capacity of 200. Book your place as early as possible. 

Book here