NHS England and Improvement’s chief data and analytics officer, Ming Tang, has been confirmed as panellist for the new Digital Health Networks debate series, the first of which will explore the Federated Data Platform (FDP). 

Open to Network members, the online event on 25 August will debate the key issues and recommend steps to make the FDP programme a success. 

The proposed new £350m data platform currently being procured is intended to link numerous local data sets to provide a national capability for better planning of care, pandemic response, population health management and integrated care.  

Tang, who was last year named the most influential person in data and analytics after leading a 300-strong team of data analysts in the UK’s fight against coronavirus, will be joined by:  

  • Chair: Dr Paul Jones, CDIO, Leeds University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust & Vice-chair, CIO AP;  
  • Dr Susheel Varma, Head of AI & Data Science, Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) 
  • Shauna McMahon, CIO Northern Lincolnshire & Goole NHS FT and Hull University Teaching Hospital NHS Trust 
  • Dr Jorge Cardoso, CTO, London Medical Imaging and AI Centre for Value-based Healthcare 

Members of the Networks are invited to join the discussion in advance on Discourse and take part in the debate which will include online voting and Q&A. 

The monthly series of lively panel debates will bring together NHS IT leaders from across Digital Health Networks to independently debate key national NHS digital and data topics. 

Confirmed forthcoming debates are Convergence and Levelling-Up on 22 September and ICB Digital Priorities on 27 October.