Full details of EHI Live 2012 released

More than 50 speakers have been booked for the conference at EHI Live 2012, which will take place at the NEC in Birmingham this November.

The confirmed speakers will give delegates the “big picture” on the future of the NHS and its IT, the detail on how to tackle “major works”, and an insight into how the public and patients will respond to the new world of “health 2.0”.

Confirmed speakers include Mike Farrar, the chief executive of the NHS Confederation, Liam Maxwell, the government’s deputy chief information officer and Tim Straughan, the chief executive of the Health and Social Care Information Centre.

Other speakers include Dame Fiona Caldicott, who is leading the NHS’ information governance review, and Paul Hodgkin from Patient Opinion.

Linda Davidson, co-founder and director of eHealth Insider, said: “Last week’s cabinet reshuffle underlined what a critical time this is for the NHS.

“There are many questions to be answered about how the reforms ordered by Andrew Lansley will bed-down, and how the NHS will cope with the strain on public finances.

“We believe that the speakers at EHI Live 2012 will give delegates a real insight into the direction of travel, and into what it all means for the NHS IT and information agendas.”

EHI Live 2012 will take place at the NEC in Birmingham on 6-7 November 2012. The two day conference runs alongside the first CCIO Leaders Network Annual Conference, the programme for which was unveiled last week.

It is also supported by a free exhibition, with more than 100 stands showcasing the best new healthcare technology, and feature areas showcasing the best practice in the UK today.

This year, the main conference has been split into five streams; with speakers looking at the big picture, major works, and health 2.0 on both days. Tuesday’s conference will focus on the best new IT “in the pipeline” and Wednesday’s conference will focus on “research”.

Davidson added: “We are delighted that so many IT directors have agreed to take time out of their busy schedules to give delegates an insight into how to run the big projects that can make a real difference to NHS trusts and to the patients they serve.

“We are also confident that the new ‘in the pipeline’ and ‘research’ streams will provide a fascinating insight into the new technologies that will make a difference in the future.”

IT leaders speaking at the conference include Andrew Fearn, director of ICT services and senior information risk officer at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, who will be talking about how a unified communications system has delivered major benefits to the trust.

John Clarke, chief information officer at University Hospital of Leicester NHS Trust, will be talking about forging good relationships with informatics researchers, and Mike Denis, director of information strategy at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, will be speaking about its new personal health record for patients, built on Microsoft HealthVault.