Life sciences minister George Freeman and National Information Board interim chair John Newton are amongst the keynote speakers at a Digital Health Leadership Summit this month.

The new two-day summit, held in Warwickshire on 25-26 February, will bring together senior NHS executives and digital health leaders from local and national organisations to share lessons on the case for strategic digital investments and measuring benefits.

IMS Maxims and Microsoft are sponsoring the inaugural summit organised by Digital Health in partnership with the Health and Social Care Information Centre.

Keynote speakers include minister for life sciences George Freeman; interim chair of the National Information Board, John Newton; chief executive of the HSCIC, Andy Williams; chief information officer of Ireland’s Health Service Executive, Richard Corbridge; and Andrew Griffiths, director of NHS Wales Informatics Service.

Three NHS trust chief executives from Taunton and Somerset, Northumberland Tyne and Wear and University Hospital Southampton NHS foundation trusts will also present as part of the summit.

Further national perspectives will be provided by; Andy Beale, deputy chief technology officer, HM Government; Deborah El-Sayed, director of digital and multi-channel development at NHS England; Paul Cooper, research director at IMS Maxims and vice chair of techUK’s Health and Social Care Council; and Michael Thick, chief medical officer at IMS Maxims.  

The summit includes an international health IT leadership workshop with a visiting delegation of New Zealand and Australian Health CIOs. 

Other workshops will focus on digital transformation; integrating health and social care; strategic interoperability challenges; and a digital strategy for the board.

Shane Tickell, CEO of IMS Maxims said: “the profile of digital technology as an enabler for transformational change has never been higher. By supporting the summit, we are reinforcing our commitment as a company, and a team, to developing new ways of information sharing and shaping service redesign to deliver efficient and quality healthcare.”

Jon Hoeksma, editor of Digital Health, added: “leadership is critical to realising the promise of a digitally-enabled health and care system.  The new Summit builds on the many brilliant leaders within the CCIO and Health CIO networks to help them make the case for strategic digitally-led transformation to further NHS senior executives.

“IMS Maxims are emerging as a key disruptor in the market and their commitment and support, both as a sponsor of the CCIO Network and for the summit has been magnificent.”