The Department of Health and Social Care has announced a £20 million investment to roll out e-referrals to all optical practices with NHS contracts in England, to support direct referrals to secondary services including NHS Online when it launches in 2027. DHSC has shared hopes that this will allow “millions” […]
Other News
HTN Now: The role of the CNIO in digital transformation now and in the future
For a recent HTN Now webinar exploring the role of the CNIO in digital transformation now and in the future, we were joined by an expert panel including Melanie De Witt, CNIO at North Bristol NHS Trust; Louise Croxall, CNIO at Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust; Natalie Hayes, CNIO at Wirral […]
National roll out of Microsoft Copilot announced for 500,000 NHS staff
NHS England has announced the roll out of Microsoft 365 Copilot to 505,000 NHS clinical and support staff, with ambitions of freeing up an average of two days per month from administrative tasks by using AI to help draft documents and analyse data “more effectively”. The roll out follows a […]
Health Tech Awards 2026 deadline to enter is 15 June!
The Health Tech Awards are back for another year to share and celebrate success across health and care! The deadline to enter the awards programme is fixed, 11:59pm, 15 June 2026! Over 150 NHS leaders from a variety of care settings and backgrounds carefully and meticulously judge the awards, selecting […]
National AI strategy for Canada announces billions in investment across sovereign compute, health data, standardisation, sustainability
The Government of Canada has published its national AI strategy: “AI for All”, promising free AI literacy training for all citizens, up to 250,000 new jobs by 2031, an AI Missions Programme with $200 million for projects improving health outcomes, and $700 million for access to public compute for SMEs […]
NHSE board places cyber at higher risk and notes potential AI innovation freeze
The board of NHS England has ranked a cyber incident higher on its organisational risk registers than a pandemic, following an assessment of mitigations and preparedness already in place, likelihood, and impact. Explaining the findings from the latest Emergency Preparedness, Resilience, and Response Annual Assurance Report, NHSE stated: “EPRR assessments […]
HTN Trust Region Series: North East and Yorkshire
NHS Trust Region Series: North East and Yorkshire Here, for our NHS trust region series for 2026, we take a deep dive into what’s happening with digital and data across the North East and Yorkshire region. We’ll explore pilots and innovations, strategies, case studies, and insights from the sector to […]
Virtual ward pilot for older adults with mental health needs demonstrates “positive early results” in Sussex
“Positive early results” are reportedly being seen from a virtual ward pilot for older adults with complex mental health needs in Sussex, with services being delivered via a combination of remote and community-based care. The pilot is part of a wider transformation programme across the region, offering support to older […]
Black Country Healthcare awards contract for digital mental health support for children and young people
Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (BCHFT) has noted its intention to award a contract with a value of £30,000 to WYSA LTD for the provision of a digital service to support children and young people with mental health and wellbeing. Services supplied under the contract will help toward the […]
Former Tesco chief executive John Browett named as chair of NHS Online
John Browett, former Tesco.com chief executive, has been named as chair for the new NHS Online hospital trust, alongside seven non-executive directors. Browett spoke of “delight” in taking up the role, noting: “In my previous roles across technology and retail, I’ve seen how much people value services that are intuitive, […]
