Focus on Digital Nursing innovation at Digital Health Rewired 2023

Written by Vivienne Raper

Discover the latest developments in the vibrant fields of digital nursing, midwifery, allied health professions and pharmacy with a dedicated stage at Digital Health Rewired 2023.

The Digital Nursing Summit will showcase some of the best leaders, teams, and initiatives from across the NHS.

Highlights of the programme include Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent, chief midwifery officer in England who will be giving a keynote on how allied healthcare professionals can unite to deliver frontline services.

Dunkley-Bent will be joined for the keynote panel by Rahul Singal, associate CCIO for medicines at NHS England and Beverley Harden, allied health professions (AHP) lead and deputy chief allied health professions officer at Health Education England.

A further keynote during the two-day stage will highlight the potential of AHPs and pharmacists in digital health with speakers including Lesley Holdsworth, clinical director of the Scottish Government’s Digital Directorate.

Other speakers include Dr Natasha Phillips, chief nursing information officer (CNIO) at NHS England who will be presenting key findings of the major review she co-led into the digital readiness of nurses and midwives. Launched virtually in May 2022, the Phillips Ives review set out to identify how nurses can be empowered to lead, as well as practice, digitally-enabled health and social care.

The session on the findings and next steps of the review will also feature panellists including Professor Ruth Endacott, director of nursing and midwifery at the National Institute for Health Research.

Also looking to the future will be a quick-fire session on the next generation of digital nurses and midwives, featuring speakers including Antonia Brown, a Florence Nightingale Foundation Digital Scholar for 2021 and deputy chief nursing information officer at Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust.

The Digital Nursing Summit at this year’s Rewired will conclude with a big debate titled ‘What’s in a Name’, featuring a panel of speakers that include Professor Louise Hicks, CNIO and director of development at Barts Health NHS Trust, and Misbah Mahmood, deputy chief midwifery information officer at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

They along with the rest of the panel will discuss the evolving landscape of titles and roles in digital healthcare before delving into the impact on digital nursing, midwifery, AHP, and pharmacy.

This year the Digital Nursing Summit is sponsored by Boots – the first time the high street retailer has had such a prominent role at Rewired.

The move reflects Boots’ growing presence in the digital healthcare market, and its commitment to providing people with safe and convenient digitally-enabled health services.

It recently became the first retail healthcare business to partner with the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME), paving the way for Boots team members to become accredited digital healthcare leaders.

The association with the Digital Nursing Summit is a perfect fit for the company, suggested chief information officer Rich Corbridge: “Increasing our connections to community healthcare is probably our biggest goal, therefore it makes sense to look at how we can be involved in that part of Rewired.”

Director of healthcare Jamie Kerruish emphasised that by participating in Rewired, Boots is making a statement about its potential to partner with the NHS: “I see this as an invitation – it is demonstrating what we are trying to achieve for people and how we can help. Every partnership is welcome.”

Taking place on March 14-15 at the Business Design Centre in London, Digital Health Rewired 2023 is a conference and exhibition that brings together all parts of the digital health community to celebrate the best of digital, data and innovation in health and care.

Health and care professionals will be able to network, collaborate and learn in person during two days of educational conference sessions, exhibitions, and meetings, all focused on sharing best practice and innovation.

All the conference sessions will be CPD accredited.

Returning for its fifth year is the Pitchfest competition, which will be split into two categories for 2023. The competition will see 23 shortlisted candidates battle it out, with the best start-up winning an NHS test bed for their idea or solution.

You can register here to secure your place at Rewired 2023.