Digital Health has launched a new podcast, with the first taking place at Summer Schools 2019 in the form of a panel discussion. Key themes included the highlights of Summer Schools, the launch of the Shuri Network – the first NHS network for BME women in digital health, and the importance of networking and sharing ideas among colleagues.

In Digital Health's second podcast we chat to the winners of Hack Day at Summer Schools, Hear My Record, about their idea to link medical records with Amazon Alexa. Pitched by Kev Hamer, Matt Beedle and Paul Gisborne of the My Medical Record team at University Hospitals Southampton, the innovation allows patients to manage their own healthcare from checking lab results to booking appointments.

Our latest Digital Health Unplugged news team debrief is now live, looking at the biggest stories of the last month.

Join our news team as we discuss the biggest stories of the month on Digital Health Unplugged. This month we look at coronavirus and the Digital Aspirants.

Digital Health Unplugged is bringing you a special edition of the podcast this week, focusing on coronavirus and the response from the NHS and suppliers on the ongoing outbreak. Join our news team, editor Hannah Crouch and senior reporters, Andrea Downey and Owen Hughes, as they talk through the Covid-19 stories making headlines for us.

Host Andrea Downey, chief strategy officer for Servelec Garry McCord, co-founder of Locum's Nest Dr Nicholas Andreou and board member for Health Education England Dr Harpreet Sood, discuss how digital tools can be used to ease pressure on the NHS.

The panel also looks at the importance of electronic patient records and upskilling the workforce.

Contact-tracing apps are a main focus of developers and health authorities across the globe in the face of Covid-19. Join senior reporter Andrea Downey, editor Hannah Crouch, and editor-in-chief Jon Hoeksma as we discuss the development of contact-tracing apps and the impact they're likely to have.

Join host and senior reporter Andrea Downey, alongside Hamza Drabu, commercial law partner at health and social care law firm DAC Beachcroft; Darryn Hale, senior associate, DAC Beachcroft; and Phil Booth, coordinator, privacy group medConfidential, as they discuss concerns around using patient data to trace corornavirus and the steps the NHS needs to take to ensure privacy.

In this episode our news team take another look at the NHS contact-tracing app, following it's launch of the Isle of Wight.

Join senior reporter Andrea Downey, editor Hannah Crouch, and editor-in-chief Jon Hoeksma as they look at the whether the app will be successful, if NHSX has taken the right approach, and the continuing concerns around contact-tracing.

Tools for digital mental health care have been around for a number of years but since the onset of Covid-19, like many other services, mental health care has had to fast-track the tech.

Hear from Dr James Reed, psychiatrist and CCIO Birmingham & Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust and Prof. Joe McDonald, psychiatrist and medical director at Sleep Station on how the service has coped, the benefits of digital tools and how trusts can prepare for a digital future.

Join senior reporter Andrea Downey, editor Hannah Crouch and editor-in-chief Jon Hoeksma as they discuss the National Audit Office’s report into the state of digital services across the NHS in England. The report found local NHS organisations are facing “significant challenges” when it comes to working towards digital transformation.

Join senior reporter Andrea Downey, editor Hannah Crouch, and editor-in-chief Jon Hoeksma as they look at the reasons behind the U-turn, the £11.8 million cost and when an app might be rolled-out nationally.

Host Andrea Downey chats to Tom Whicher, founder of DrDoctor, and Graham Kendall, director of the Digital Healthcare Council, about the backlog of appointments left over from Covid-19 and the role technology has to play in easing pressure on the NHS.

This month's Digital Health Podcast with the Shuri Network explores the need for diversity in digital health and what needs to be done to encourage more women to take up IT roles in the NHS. Founders of the network Dr Shera Chok and Sarah Amani joined the panel, along with Dr Ayesha Rahim, CCIO at Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust and Professor Joe McDonald, executive director of Connected Health Cities and the former chair of the Digital Health CCIO Network.

One year after the Shuri Network was launched they returned to Digital Health Virtual Summer School to provide an update on what they've achieved over the last 12 months and what their plans for the future are. Tune in to hear from co-founders Dr Shera Chok and Sarah Amani, along with a live panel discussion with Network members.

Join Digital Health's editorial team, senior reporter Andrea Downey, editor Hannah Crouch, editor-in-chief Jon Hoeksma as they look at what's making headlines at the moment.

This episode they look at the use of digital services in primary care and whether or not they're here to stay after the Covid-19 pandemic is over.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said he wants GP services to be teleconsultations first, but the Royal College of GPs said remote services won't work for everyone.

This episode of Digital Health Unplugged looks at the use of technology in care homes and its importance during the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond. Join host Andrea Downey with Mandy Thorn, chair of Marches Care which owns care home The Uplands in Shropshire,  Carey Bloomer, managing director of The Uplands, and Keith Strahan, principal clinical lead for NHS Digital’s social care programme as they look at the importance of digital solutions in the adult care sector.

In this episode of Digital Health Unplugged we take a look at the electronic patient record contracts signed with Epic this year. Join host Andrea Downey along with editor Hannah Crouch and editor-in-chief Jon Hoeksma as they look why Epic are having a resurgence in the NHS.

Our expert panel look at why access to data during the pandemic was important and whether Covid-19 has permanently changed the country's relationship with data.

Host Andrea Downey is joined by:

• Caroline Cake, chief executive of Health Data Research UK
• Cathie Sudlow, director of British Heart Foundation Data Science Centre, and consultant stoke neurologist in Edinburgh
• Dr Ami Banerjee, associate professor in clinical data science and consultant cardiologist at University College London Hospitals and Barts NHS Trusts

Senior reporter Andrea Downey and editor Hannah Crouch, are joined by James Reed, CCIO at Birmingham & Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust and chair of Digital Health’s CCIO Network, and Dermot O'Riordan, CCIO at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. The team look at the launch of the NHS Covid-19 App, the features that work well and the features that might not.

The latest Digital Health Unplugged looks at the importance of collaboration between suppliers and the benefits it brings the digital health market. Joining host Andrea Downey is David Hancock healthcare executive advisor InterSystems and vendor co-chair of INTEROPen, and Daniel Nathrath, co-founder and chief executive of Ada Health.

Going forward we will be inviting members of our Digital Health Advisory Panel to take part in our news team debriefs, bringing with them a wealth of knowledge and experience.

Our Advisory Panel is made up of elected members from our Digital Health Networks, a community of digital health leaders dedicated to collaboration and sharing best practice.

In our latest news team debrief our editorial team - host Andrea Downey, editor Hannah Crouch and editor-in-chief Jon Hoeksma - are joined by two Chief Clinical Information Office (CCI)) Advisory Panel stalwarts Professor Joe McDonald and Dr Marcus Baw.

Joining host and senior reporter Andrea Downey are Gary Jennings, commercial director of Kernow Health CIC, and Ian Nicholls, eHealth transformation manager at Royal Cornwall Hospitals. The testbed programme originally began in primary care through Kernow Health CIC and is now expanding into secondary care through Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust.

In the penultimate episode of the year our expert panel also look at the key achievements made in the sector, the impact of Covid-19 and the way industry and NHS leaders worked together to tackle the pandemic.

This month’s Digital Health Podcast explores the need for accelerator programmes and the challenges start-ups and SMEs face with turning their innovation from a working concept into reality.

It features DigitalHealth.London’s accelerator programme director Sara Nelson, Infinity Health’s chief executive Elliot Engers and Vine Health’s co-founder and chief executive Dr Rayna Patel.

In our Christmas Quiz of the Year our Digital Health CCIO, CIO and CNIO Advisory Panels put their knowledge to the test on all things NHS IT in 2020. Our teams were: The Noel-it Alls - CCIO chair James Reed and vice chair Fiona McDonald Too Cool for Yule: CIO chair Adrian Byrne and vice chair Mandy Griffin Sleigh Belles: CNIO chair Jo Dickson and Sara Nelson from the NHSX CNIO team

Have a very Merry Christmas and we hope you'll tune back in in the New Year.

The first Digital Health Unplugged for 2021 is live - this time taking a look at what the year has in store for health technology.

Our expert panel includes:

• Dr Simon Eccles, CCIO at NHSX
• Catherine Dampney, Director of BI Innovation and Transformation at NHS South, Central and West
• Adrian Byrne, CIO University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust and chair of the Digital Health CIO Network
• Jon Hoeksma, editor-in-chief of Digital Health

Our latest episode of Digital Health Unplugged takes a look at the NHSX programme 'What Good Looks Like' - a programme that aims create a common vision for good digital practice across health and care.

But will it work? Discussing what is needed for the programme to be successful are:

• Jonathan Kay, chair of Faculty of Clinical Informatics
• David Hancock, Healthcare Executive Advisor at InterSystems
• Marcus Baw, GP and member of Digital Health's CCIO Advisory Panel
• Hannah Crouch, editor of Digital Health

Hear from our keynote speaks from our digital transformation of medicine session at Digital Health Rewired 2021, 15-19 March.

- Henrietta Bowden-Jones OBE, consultant psychiatrist - Katerina Spranger, CEO of Oxford Heartbeat - Christian Guttmann, vice president and global head of AI and data at TietoEVRY - Tim Ringrose of the Royal Society of Medicine's Digital Health Council

Our panelists discuss their own experience in using technology to deliver better care for patients, innovating in clinical areas, as well as the role of leadership in digitising medicine.

Last year we recorded an edition of Unplugged with special guest host Hannah Crouch, Digital Health's editor, who invited a panel to discuss whether they think the two organisations should join together.

The panel was made up of, Luke Redman, Regional Director Digital Transformation, NHS London; Philip Graham, Digital Programme Director Blackpool Teaching Hospitals; and Mandy Griffin, Director Digital Health, The Health Informatics Service, as well as senior reporter and regular podcast host Andrea Downey.

Tune in to hear them discuss whether NHS Digital and NHSX should merge.

Members of the Digital Health Advisory Panel, James Reed, CCIO Network chair; Ade Byrne, CIO Network chair; Anne Marie Cunningham of the CCIO Network; and Jon Hoeksma, Digital Health's editor-in-chief, take a look at plans to reform the NHS.

It follows proposed plans for NHSX to be merged into a 'transformation directorate' and a government white paper for health and care that aims to deliver a more joined up health and care system, capitalising on better use of data during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Host Andrea Downey spoke to Helen Milner, CEO Good Things Foundation; Surriya Walters, digital social inclusion outreach manager Good Things Foundation; and Peter Nuckley, deputy director mHabitat about their work with NHS Digital on improving digital participation.

Their work on the 'Widening Digital Participation' programme aimed to identify why technology and digital health solutions have a low uptake, or are unavailable to some communities, and how to address that gap.

This episode takes a look at New Zealand's response to Covid-19 and the lesson learned on that side of the globe. Tune in to hear keynote talks from Digital Health Rewired 2021. You'll hear from:

• Shayne Hunter, deputy director general of data and digital at Ministry of Health New Zealand
• Ruth Large, deputy chair of the New Zealand Telehealth Forum and clinical director of virtual care for Waikato District Health Board
• Nigel Miller, chief medical officer for the Southern District Health Board

Often there is a "power struggle" between clinicians and IT teams over who should be leading the development and implementation of digital and technology programmes, which can lead to a breakdown in working relationships.

Tune in to hear from:

Dr Simon Eccles, NHSX CCIO and deputy CEO Kevin Percival, CNIO at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust and vice chair of the Digital Health CNIO Network Dr Constantin Jabarin, international CCIO for Allscripts

Our expert panel look at how to move beyond the power struggle, why it's important for IT teams and clinicians to work well together, and the untapped knowledge both parties have to offer on new ways of working digitally.

A recent report from the King's Fund found a “lack of clear responsibility” and leadership for digital technology in the NHS has led to a “social care gap” which risks the sector getting left behind.

In the podcast the Digital Health News team and special guest from the Faculty of Clinical Informatics delve into the report and what it means for digital technology in the NHS and social care.

You'll hear from:

• Andrea Downey, host Digital Health Unplugged
• Hannah Crouch, editor Digital Health News
• Jon Hoeksma, editor-in-chief Digital Health
• Jonathan Kay, chair of the Faculty of Clinical Informatics and member of the Digital Health CCIO Network

Joining Andrea Downey on this month's podcast to discuss how trusts can encourage and support innovation is Chris Chaney, chief executive of Chelsea and Westminster’s charity CW+, Sunita Sharma, an obstetrician and gynaecologist who developed the Mum & Baby app which links women to maternity services and Tom Newsom-Davis, a consultant oncologist who leads on the acute diagnostic oncology clinic at Chelsea and Westminster.

As more Covid restrictions are eased across England, Digital Health Unplugged asks if the momentum we've seen with digital services during the pandemic can be maintained. Hear from:  • Dr Rishi Das-Gupta, Chief Executive of the Health Innovation Network South London • Ruth Bradbury, Senior Navigator at DigitalHealth.London  • Luke Readman, Regional Director Digital Transformation, NHS England • Aasha Cowey, Programme Manager NHS South, Central and West

In this episode we hear from the four finalists of this year's Digital Health Rewired Pitchfest competition about what it's like being a start-up in the NHS. Guests include: • Dr Mridula Pore – CEO Peppy Health • Dr Dafydd Loughran – CEO Concentric Health • Dr Stephen Katebe – Director Tekihealth Solutions • Dr Ash Kalraiya – CEO MediShout Tune in to hear all about how the pandemic has changed the start-up space and what advice our finalists have for other start-ups working in the NHS.

In this episode we discuss the General Practice Data for Planning and Research (GPDPR) and the extension of the deadline for it to come into play.

Hear from: Phil Booth, coordinator, MedConfedential Osman Bhatti, east London GP Anne Marie Cunningham, GP in Wales and CCIO Network member Andrea Downey, senior reporter, Digital Health

Queertech encompasses digital health tools that are designed to be inclusive of the LGBT+ community - both new tools and technology that's been around for a while.

Tune in to hear from:

• Brett Hatfield, NHS Navigator at the accelerator DigitalHealth.London
• Mathew Watt, Senior Delivery Manager of Innovation, NHSX
• Lizzie Streeter, National LGBT programme manager at NHSE
• Paul Gavin, Deputy Director of health inequalities at NHSE

In this episode we take a look at the government's draft data strategy, Data Saves Lives: Reshaping health and care with data.

Tune in to hear more about the strategy from:

• David Hancock, Healthcare Executive Advisor, InterSystems
• Catherine Dampney, Director of BI Innovation & Transformation, NHS South, Central and West
• Monica Jones, Chief Data Officer, HDRUK Hub for Cancer DATA-CAN
• Jon Hoeksma, editor-in-chief Digital Health

Our panel discuss what the strategy got right, what it got wrong, and what it was missing.

Host Andrea Downey chats one-on-one with Liz O'Riordan, consultant breast surgeon and award-winning co-author of 'The Complete Guide to Breast Cancer: How to Feel Empowered and Take Control'.

O'Riordan speaks about her own breast cancer diagnosis in 2015 and her experience of the health system from a patient's perspective.

Despite her work as a breast cancer surgeon, O'Riordan said her experience in the consulting room hadn't prepared her for the experience of being a patient, adding that technology provided access to information when she needed it the most.

In this episode we take a look at Amanda Pritchard's appointment as NHS England's new CEO - and the first female chief executive of NHS England.

Joining host Andrea Downey is: Aasha Cowey, Strategic Transformation Lead at Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust Will Smart, Global Director External Relations, Dedalus Hannah Crouch, Editor, Digital Health

As well as looking at the significance of digital transformation being in Pritchard's job description, the panel also speak about the significant step forward for female representation in the NHS.

In this episode we take a look at diversity in digital leadership with the Shuri Network. A lot has happened in the last year for the Network, from setting up bursaries for members to join the Faculty of Clinical Informatics (FCI) to establishing a shadowing programme to help younger members learn from those already working in tech in the NHS.

Hear from:

-Nicole Wong, Junior Technical Analyst, Cyber, NHS South, Central and West -Di Bullman, Workstream Lead, Digital Readiness Programme, Health Education England -Rafiah Patel, Chief Digital Ethics & Privacy Officer, Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Host Andrea Downey spoke to the interim chief executive of NHS Digital Simon Bolton about his goals for the organisation, building back after Covid-19 and recently set targets around diversity.

Bolton addresses the need for workforce resilience as the NHS recovers from the pandemic, adding that he wants to lead by example in creating a workplace where everyone feels valued and respected.

He also spoke about the need for better collaboration at the centre to streamline communications on digital strategies which he hopes will boost engagement from the frontline.

Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust have employed four design teams to look at the way tech is used, and received, by the end user.

The aim is to ensure all digital health tools rolled out across the trust are easy to use and provide what the end user, whether that be clinicians or patients, actually need.

Tune in to hear from:

• Helen Potter, head of pathways and EPR development, Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
• Nitesh Bali, clinical pathways product manager for digital, Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Our first podcast for 2020 has a fresh new look - we will now be publishing fortnightly! Alongside our usual panel discussions with industry experts, we will also be hosting debriefings with the Digital Health news team, looking at the biggest stories of the month. This week's podcast is our first news debriefing with Hannah Crouch, Digital Health's editor; Owen Hughes, senior reporter; Andrea Downey, senior reporter; and Jon Hoeksma, editor in chief.

Dione Rogers, CNIO Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and Holly Carr, Nurse, a nurse at Sheffield Children's Hospital and Florence Nightingale Fellow at NHSX, have both been diagnosed with dyslexia.

Through their diagnosis and interest in health technology, the two have formed a mentorship to support each other professionally and also personally. In this episode they share their story with host Andrea Downey, including how they use technology to manage their diaries, workload and out of the box thinking - something Carr likens to fireworks.

Earlier this month Digital Health News published a feature speculating about a national deal between NHS England and US electronic patient record (EPR) supplier Epic began to circulate. 

A decade on from the failed National Programme for IT, rumours of a national EPR deal undoubtedly sparked concern for some.

But what would a national deal with Epic look like, and what implications would that have for the NHS? Tune in to hear from our news team:

• Andrea Downey, senior reporter
• Hannah Crouch, editor
• Jon Hoeksma, editor-in-chief

Digital Health Unplugged makes its long-awaited return with a brand new host, as junior news reporter Jordan Sollof sits down with the chief medical officer at NHS Digital, Professor Jonathan Benger.

Professor Benger reacts to receiving a CBE in the New Year’s Honours List for ‘services to the NHS’ and gives special thanks to his team whilst also previewing his keynote speaker session at Digital Health Rewired 2022.

He finishes the podcast by giving his hopes and predictions for the future in terms of digital transformation and integration in the NHS and looks ahead to what NHS Digital still want to achieve.

Host Jordan Sollof is joined by Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive at NHS Providers, in this week's episode of Digital Health Unplugged.

Cordery discusses the huge success so far of NHS Providers' Digital Boards Programme and looks back on a challenging time for the team during the pandemic. 

The deputy chief executive also looks ahead to her speaker session at Digital Health Rewired 2022 on the Digital Transformation Stage, along with chairing the Digital Boards Panel on the National Policy Stage.

Lastly, Cordery explains how digital and technology can help tackle health inequalities across the UK and looks ahead to what NHS Providers still have to achieve in the coming months and years.