Digital and innovation

Exploring how digital technology, innovation and new ways of working can transform care and services.

Strong digital leadership is the foundation of the shift from analogue to digital. As the pace of change accelerates with the coming ten-year health plan, it's more important than ever to foster a connected collaborative conversation around digital and innovation across the health service.

Digital Innovation Leaders' Forum

We host a Digital and Innovation Leaders' Forum for all senior digital members.

The Digital and Innovation Leaders' Forum brings together leaders from across the NHS to:

Shape national policy through collective insight and influence
Share best practice and learn from peers
Stay informed on the latest developments, challenges, and opportunities
Build connections across organisations.

Join the forum to benefit from:
- Quarterly member meetings – sharing insight to influence national policy and develop solutions and address challenges
- Improving practice - uniting digital and innovation leaders to discuss thematic issues and share case studies
- Topic-specific sessions – deep dive sessions looking at specific policy topics
- Reactive peer network sessions – held in response to external developments these sessions facilitate open discussion, peer learning and joint problem solving
Any member of the NHS Confederation who is involved in digital or innovation in acute hospitals, community, mental health and primary care organisations or ICSs.
To join or find out more, please email: beth.wheatland@nhsconfed.org or sign up here.

Featured

Guide

AI in healthcare: navigating the noise

A comprehensive guide supporting healthcare leaders to make sense of AI and explore the art of the possible.

20 September 2024

Report

Frontline digitisation

What ICSs need to be able to move from paper-based to digital systems for patient information, clinical notes and access to data.

6 August 2024

The Evolve Collaborative

Turning healthcare insights into action.

Article

Shaping the future of AI within NHS Communications

Supporting communications professionals to build capability around artificial intelligence.

14 February 2025

Recent work

NHS Voices

Online consultation is a ‘game changer’ for general practice

Online access to general practice has been a resounding win for both patients and primary care teams in Oxford.

1 October 2025

Guide

NHS Communications Artificial Intelligence Operating Framework

Principles, expectations and safeguards to ensure AI is used in ways that are ethical, inclusive, transparent and anchored in trust.

1 October 2025

Audio

The role of improvement in implementing the shift from analogue to digital

In the third episode of Season Two of our Leading Improvement in Health and Care podcast, we look at the role of improvement in digital

10 September 2025

Article

Implementing the 10 Year Health Plan: eight things we’ve learned

Key reflections on how to deliver change that empowers patients and the health and care system.

4 September 2025

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Latest blogs

NHS Voices

Scaling AI in healthcare

The future of AI in the NHS is about embedding it into the fabric of how services are delivered, writes Catherine Inness of Accenture.

6 June 2025

NHS Voices

To unlock productivity in acute trusts, models of care delivery must change

Staff in acute trusts must have access to modern communication solutions to be able to drive productivity improvements and reduce waiting lists.

26 September 2024

NHS Voices

IT is key for productivity gains but processes must be standardised first

There are very real opportunities for the NHS to become more productive, writes Thomas Webb of Ethical Healthcare Consulting.

24 June 2024

NHS Voices

Frontline digitisation: people over functionality

If staff needs aren’t considered, the benefits outlined in NHS England’s Frontline Digitisation programme will be difficult to realise.

22 April 2024

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Case studies

A photo of Chloe Fuller, patient-flow coordinator at Hampshire Hospitals.

Case Study

Developing a patient-focused discourse around hospital flow

How changing the language on hospital flow and discharge delays is leading to a cultural shift focused on improving patient safety and experience.

26 February 2025

A photo of Hannah Lowther, advanced paramedic practitioner, conducting a consultation with a patient.

Case Study

Advanced paramedic rotational placement models in Wales

How experience in primary care is empowering and informing decision making for advanced paramedics and reducing avoidable conveyance to hospital.

18 February 2025

A masked patient outside a doctors' surgery.

Case Study

Digital pre-procedure reminders to tackle colonoscopy backlog

SMS reminders to patients containing pre-procedure instructions has led to a 28 per cent drop in failed colonoscopies and savings of £130,000 a year.

1 October 2024

View all case studies

Latest news

News

NHS Confederation responds to NHS AI trial results delivering cost savings

AI tools have great potential to improve NHS productivity and solve specific and identifiable problems.

21 October 2025

News

New partnership to support teams to move hospital eye care services into the community

Our new improvement programme in partnership with Primary Eyecare Services and the Q community.

7 October 2025

A GP holding a video call appointment and looking at a wound on a tablet screen.

News

NHS Confederation comments on news that online GP bookings are now mandatory

Many of our members are operating in this way already and have been positive about the impact – not only on patients, but on the workforce.

1 October 2025

View all news

Stay informed

Health on the Line

New podcast series, hosted by Matthew Taylor, offers fresh perspectives on the healthcare challenges of our time and ways to confront them.

Email newsletters

Keep up to date with all the latest healthcare news, views and analysis

Member forums

Convening leaders to develop solutions to shared challenges.

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