In this episode, I speak with Paul Taylor about the realities of digital transformation across health and social care, with a focus on how technology is adopted within the NHS and related sectors.

Our conversation is rooted in Paul’s reflections on a blog he wrote critiquing digital transformation. Notably, his suggestion that “digital transformation was never about digital and rarely about transformation”.

We start by reflecting on the optimism of the early days of social media and digital innovation, and how initial grassroots enthusiasm sometimes lost momentum as transformation programmes became corporatised and transactional. Paul Taylor shares his experience working inside large organisations and describes how the human and relational aspects of technology were often squeezed out as efficiency and scale took priority.

We discuss the challenges of designing digital services for complex, relational sectors like health, housing and social care, including the risks of borrowing private sector methodologies that may not translate well to the realities of public service. We touch on persistent issues of digital exclusion and the false assumption that these challenges will just disappear as technology advances. There is recognition of the fact that people’s digital capabilities evolve over time, but so does the technology itself, making ongoing support and thoughtful design essential.

One key theme is the importance of local and place-based approaches, and how meaningful innovation very often happens at a community level, not in top-down national programmes. We talk through what gets missed when services try to scale without considering local needs, and the potential for interoperability and open-source tools to enable grassroots innovation.

We end on an optimistic note: highlighting renewed interest in locality and community across sectors, as well as the role of technology in supporting these approaches. 

If you’re interested in honest reflections on digital transformation, lessons learned from the past decade, and practical ideas for supporting innovation in your own team or community, I think you’ll find this episode valuable.

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The Digital Ecology Podcast is part of the Talking HealthTech Podcast Network, your go-to audio destination for the latest in healthcare delivery, innovation, digital health, healthcare ICT, and commercialisation. Discover more at talkinghealthtech.com/podcast/network.