The latest episode of Unplugged, in partnership with BridgeHead Software, explores why the NHS must move beyond ‘analogue to digital’ to ‘digitalised’.

Digital Health Unplugged host Jordan Sollof is joined by Adam Coombes, product owner, HealthStore at BridgeHead Software, and Andy Meiner, founder of SI Squared, to examine the hidden barriers to interoperability.

The pair argue that data only becomes useful when enriched with structure, standards and metadata, before discussing why paper is still so deeply embedded in NHS workflows.

They then outline the practical strategies organisations can use to unify and operationalise their data to help deliver the ambitions of the NHS 10 year health plan.

Lastly, Coombes and Meiner offer one mindset shift and one practical step that chief information officers and chief clinical information officers should take to move towards true digitalisation.

Guest:

Adam Coombes, product owner, HealthStore at BridgeHead Software

Andy Meiner, founder of SI Squared

In this episode of Digital Health Unplugged, Charlotte Refsum, director of health policy at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, explains why a single patient record is becoming increasingly important in the age of AI.

Refsum tells Tammy Lovell, editor at Digital Health News, that as AI, data and digital technologies begin to reshape health systems, data unification is critical to support safer care, new models of delivery and a fundamentally different way of running the NHS.

Drawing on her experience from the UK and health systems around the world, Refsum reflects on how digital could enable more integrated and preventative care, empower people to better manage their own health, and change the way patients interact with services through tools such as the NHS App.

The conversation also explores the challenges standing in the way of this vision, including data sharing, public trust, interoperability and legacy systems, as well as discussing what to expect from the NHS 10 year health plan.

Refsum will be delivering a keynote at Digital Health Rewired, to give her views on what comes next in the NHS’s shift to digitisation and prevention.

The event is taking place at the Birmingham NEC on 24-25 March 2026. Free for NHS, public sector, charities, research and education. Commercial tickets start from £769+VAT. Register here.

Guest:

Charlotte Refsum, director of health policy at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change

In the first episode Digital Health Unplugged episode of the year, Beverley Bryant, chief digital officer (CDO) across three trusts in Dorset, reflects on her involvement in a national rapid review of electronic patient record (EPR) programmes across acute NHS trusts.

Bryant, who is CDO at University Hospitals Dorset, Dorset County Hospital and Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trusts,  joins Unplugged host Jordan Sollof to discuss the challenges organisations face at different stages of EPR implementation, and the considerations NHS leaders need to weigh as they move from planning to go-live and beyond.

She shares how those insights are informing Dorset’s own EPR programme, as part of a county-wide digital strategy.

The conversation goes on to explore the realities of AI adoption in healthcare, lessons learned from the Synnovis cyber attack, the balance between national digital priorities and local delivery, and why digital transformation needs to be owned beyond IT teams.

Bryant also looks ahead to speaking at Digital Health Rewired 2026, which takes place at the Birmingham NEC on 24-25 March, where she will be joined on stage by Siobhan Harrington, chief executive at University Hospitals Dorset. Register here.

Guest:

Beverley Bryant, chief digital officer for Dorset Providers - University Hospitals Dorset, Dorset County Hospital and Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trusts

In the latest episode of Digital Health Unplugged, Paul Jones, chief digital information officer (CDIO) at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, delves into the details of the 10 year health plan.

In conversation with Jordan Sollof, podcast host, Jones discusses the digital ambitions in the government's 10 year plan and why they should not be treated as "a silver bullet" for efficiency.

He also shares his views on plans for the single patient record, the federated data platform, and the use of AI in the NHS, before sharing the technology he's most excited about at Leeds.

Jones also discusses the independent inquiry into repeated maternity failings at Leeds Teaching Hospitals and explains what the trust is doing to improve the service and how digital can support.

Finally, he looks ahead to speaking at Digital Health Rewired 2026, which takes place at the Birmingham NEC on 24-25 March, and gives listeners a taste of what he'll be talking about at the event.

Guest:

Paul Jones, CDIO at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

On World Mental Health Day 2025, this powerful episode of Digital Health Unplugged delves into the importance of including the patient voice in the development of digital mental health technologies (DMHTs).

Podcast host Jordan Sollof is joined by Holly Coole, senior manager for digital mental health at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), and Grace Gatera, a lived experience advocate with direct experience of trauma from surviving the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

Coole discusses the three-year Wellcome-funded project she is leading, which aims to strengthen regulation and evaluation of DMHTs including apps, digital triage tools and virtual reality software.

Joining from Rwanda, Gatera shares her first-hand understanding of mental health problems and the importance of including lived experience voices in digital mental health design and regulation.

The two women are working together to ensure that DMHTs - including the use of AI - are effective, safe and take the needs of those who use them into account.

Guests:

Holly Coole, senior manager for digital mental health at the MHRA

Grace Gatera, lived experience advisor from Rwanda with a global perspective on mental health access and the power of tech in underserved communities

Ahead of speaking at Digital Health Rewired 2026, Dr Jennifer Dixon, chief executive at The Health Foundation, gives her views on the NHS 10 year health plan.

In conversation with Digital Health Unplugged host, Jordan Sollof, Dixon stressed the importance of the 10 year health plan moving beyond ambition into clear actionable steps, particularly around digital transformation and service delivery.

She discussed the need for a broader and more balanced approach to AI in healthcare which recognises the potential of the technology but avoids the hype that surrounds it.

Dixon also shared her views on the value of the recently published NHS league tables, which have been criticised by some for being overly simplistic.

Lastly, Dixon looks ahead to speaking at the next Rewired event, taking place at the Birmingham NEC on 24-25 March 2026.

Guest:

Dr Jennifer Dixon, chief executive at The Health Foundation

Host Jordan Sollof is joined by the co-directors of the NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA) to discuss how the NHS can attract female innovators and those from underrepresented groups.

Mindy Simon and Jack Porter discuss how the NIA provides “wrap-around” support and acts as a bridge between innovators and the NHS.

They then make clear that the NIA is encouraging and targeting applications from female innovators, black innovators and those from underrepresented backgrounds.

In 2019, after revising their promotional language and approach, the NIA achieved 40% female innovators in that year’s cohort. In the last two years, the figure has fallen to 18% female innovators.

Across the entire 10-year history of the NIA, there have only been two black innovators out of more than 100 fellows and around eight Asian innovators accepted into the programme.

To address this, Simon explains how the NIA are refining how they communicate about the programme to ensure the wording attracts a wider and more diverse pool of applicants.

In the episode Porter also highlights several success stories from NIA fellows, before reflecting on Rewired 2025, where the NIA launched its largest new cohort of fellows, with plans for an even bigger number when the accelerator launches again at Rewired 2026.

Guests:

Mindy Simon, co-director of the NHS Innovation Accelerator

Jack Porter, co-director of the NHS Innovation Accelerator

This episode of Unplugged, in collaboration with Digital Health Networks sponsor CereCore International, focuses on delivery of the 10 year health plan.

Podcast host Jordan Sollof is joined by Sir David Sloman, senior advisor to CereCore International and former chief operating officer at NHS England, and Andrew Hine, managing director at CereCore International.

The pair welcome the publication of the 10 year health plan and the fact we have now have high level vision, but stress that leadership on the ground needs to grasp this opportunity and gets moving, not waiting to be told what to do.

Sloman and Hine both give their advice to organisations about to implement an electronic patient record system, urging them to get help from people who have done it multiple times before in their careers as they are the subject matter experts who can spot the “bear traps”.

They stress the importance of optimism, pace and momentum if we want the 10 year health plan to be achieved in the timeframe set out and that the NHS must be get cracking straight away and not wait two years to make changes.

Guests:

Sir David Sloman, senior advisor to CereCore International and former chief operating officer at NHS England

Andrew Hine, managing director at CereCore International

Digital Health Unplugged host Jordan Sollof is joined by Dame Barbara Hakin, chair of the Health Tech Alliance, to discuss the role of healthcare technology in the government’s NHS 10 year health plan healthcare technology.

Hakin, former deputy chief executive at NHS England, highlights some of the digital ambitions laid out in the plan, including the introduction of innovator passports to help fast-track the rollout of technology.

She also explores the update to NICE's technology appraisal process to cover some devices, diagnostics and digital products through the rules-based pathway and why the alliance is has been calling for value-based procurement to create a more innovation friendly system.

The discussion also includes the government’s recently published Life Sciences Sector Plan and why it is more practical to implement than the 10 year health plan.

Guest:

Dame Barbara Hakin, chair of the Health Tech Alliance and former deputy chief executive at NHS England

Unplugged host Jordan Sollof is joined by three of the Digital Health Awards 2025 winners to discuss how they are driving digital transformation and give their thoughts on the NHS 10 year health plan.

Amy Freeman, chief digital information officer (CDIO) at University Hospitals of North Midlands, was named chief information officer (CIO) of the year at Digital Health Summer Schools 2025.

She also sets out what she hopes to achieve in the next two years as the new chair of the Digital Health Networks CIO Advisory Panel, after being voted in earlier this year.

Kaye Reynolds, lead clinical safety officer (CSO) at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn NHS Foundation Trust, was voted CSO of the year in the Digital Health Awards.

As well as reflecting on her achievement, Reynolds discusses the CSO Coffee and Chat Network, which she founded and chairs.

Rising Star Award winner, Tom Micklewright, clinical lead for digital transformation in primary care at Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board (ICB), highlights his work leading on the development of the Digital Care Pathway for Heart Health project.

The trio then give their thoughts on the government’s 10 year health plan and how it will shape the digital health priorities at their respective organisations going forward.

Guests:

Amy Freeman, CDIO at University Hospitals of North Midlands and chair of the Digital Health Networks CIO Advisory Panel

Kaye Reynolds, lead CSO at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn NHS Foundation Trust

Tom Micklewright, clinical lead for digital transformation in primary care at Cheshire and Merseyside ICB