Digital Health Networks Debate Series: Convergence and Levelling-Up

A new series of lively panel debates bringing together NHS IT leaders from across Digital Health Networks to independently debate key national NHS digital and data topics. 

Questions will be canvassed in advance from across the Digital Health networks community, and each debate will be written up as a discussion paper to be published on digitalhealth.net.

Synopsis

The second edition of the Digital Health Networks Debate Series will explore policy developments in convergence and levelling-up and how these twin policies can be made most useful to local NHS organisations and communities.

Convergence has so far been framed primarily as standardisation on EPR systems, with levelling-up is directing national investment on those least digitally mature organisations.  Taken in tandem, the policies are driving significant market procurement activity.

But there has been relatively little debate or formal policy discussion as to whether EPR standardisation makes sense, and whether it offers the best dimension of digital maturity to focus on.  Or indeed how should digital maturity be measured? What of the other key clinical networks and services that operate across regions, such as cancer networks pathology and radiology? What of shared IT services, networks and infrastructure?

Following on from the Summer School session Roads to Convergence this Digital Health Networks Debate, will bring together elected members of the Networks will be joined by experienced Network members to debate how to get the most out of convergence and levelling up and how to avoid a myopic focus on EPR alone.

Members of the Networks are invited to join the discussion in advance on Discourse and take part in the debate which will include online voting and Q&A.

Topics to be covered

• What are the policies on Convergence and Levelling-up
• How are these policies playing out locally?
• Are we focusing too much on EPRs?
• Are we too narrow in our focus on digital maturity measures?
• What are the potential dangers of the current approach?
• What actions would help deliver both improved provider digitisation and equity?

Our panellists

• Chair: Dr Paul Rice, CDIO, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS FT
• Debbie Loke, CIO / Director of Digital, University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS FT
• Adrian Byrne, CIO, Southampton University Hospital

This programme of events is only open to our Network Members which include, digital health leaders from across the NHS, public sector, charitable sectors, academia, and our Network Sponsors.

Register now