A panel of experts discussed how the NHS needs to get the digital infrastructure right before running advanced software projects

Read the detailed report here.

Digital transformation in healthcare is often equated with flashy large-scale software projects, such as electronic patient records, patient portals, or daily use of artificial intelligence.

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But those only run effectively if the right digital infrastructure is in place. However, this is an area that tends to receive significantly less focus.

There often seems to be a chasm between the emphasis on and excitement around technology that promises to revolutionise ways of working, and the infrastructure and hardware which the NHS has available to run these shiny projects.

An HSJ roundtable, run in association with BT, brought together those working in the NHS, big tech, academics, and thought leaders to look at how the NHS’s digital infrastructure needs to evolve to properly support transformation. The panel addressed some of the current challenges with the way in which the NHS tends to store applications and data, and what changes – such as cloud or other technologies – could make a difference.

Panel

  • Tom Allen, head of NHS national bodies – UK healthcare, Amazon Web Services
  • Scott Andrew, healthcare and life sciences industry director, Dell
  • Tim Cropley, chief information officer, Hampshire Hospitals Foundation Trust
  • Corrina Hulkes, chief nursing information officer, London North West University Healthcare Trust
  • Dipak Kalra, president, The European Institute for Innovation Through Health Data and professor of health informatics, University College London
  • Sultan Mahmud, director of healthcare, BT
  • Pritesh Mistry, fellow – digital technologies, The King’s Fund
  • Sarah Newcombe, chief nursing information officer, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children Foundation Trust
  • Mick Quinn, healthcare informatician and consultant physician, Queen’s University Belfast and principal clinical consultant, BT
  • Claire Read, contributor, HSJ (roundtable chair)