2025 predictions: Digital Health Networks’ leaders look ahead

The government’s focus on a shift from ‘analogue to digital’ offers new promise for the world of NHS digital and technology in 2025. But questions remain unanswered around how this will work in practice, with more details eagerly awaited in the forthcoming NHS 10 year health plan. 

We asked members of the five Digital Health Networks’ advisory panels and councils for their thoughts on what lies ahead in the new year and what they hope to see happen over the next 12 months.

Here are their predictions and expectations:

Chief Clinical Information Officer (CCIO) Advisory Panel

Dr Penny Kechagioglou, vice chair of the CCIO Advisory Panel, CCIO and deputy chief medical officer at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust

“For 2025, as the priorities move towards community, proactive care and from analogue to digital, we will see an expansion of innovative health technologies being implemented and spread.

“Those will range from remote monitoring and triaging patients to the use of AI bots and generative AI to support clinical and operational decision-making.

There are exciting times ahead in digital healthcare and it is important to ensure the ethical application of such technologies – Dr Penny Kechagioglou, CCIO Advisory Panel

“There are exciting times ahead in digital healthcare and it is important to ensure the ethical application of such technologies as well as the systematic measurement of their value.”

Clinical Safety Officer (CSO) Council

Ben Jeeves, chair of the CSO Council, CSO and associate CCIO, Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

“The recent announcement of the review of the DCB standards will be well received by many. This will helpfully raise the profile of the standards which impact both suppliers and deploying organisations.

“The key will be how the standards can be designed to meet both current and future needs, whilst managing risk and simultaneously facilitating innovation. It will be great to end up in a place where the process of digital clinical safety is seen for the value it can bring, rather than being an unnecessary requirements process.”

Kimberley Dawson, senior digital CSO, Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

“In 2025 it’s time to put clinical digital safety at the forefront of digital and build upon it as a foundation on which to build the rest of our digital systems upon.

“As many trusts still look towards implementing EPRs, and other systems have strong foundation in place, this will assist us in making decisions early to see if this is the right tool and looking at risks before they happen.

In 2025 it’s time to put clinical digital safety at the forefront of digital – Kimberley Dawson, CSO Council

“It is time to look forward at the influence and support needed by CSOs across England and beyond. This can only be done with assistance of a wider team. CSOs need to be in place in every trust not just as an add on to jobs but as a job role on its own.

“I hope 2025 is when we see more roles like this emerge with emphasis on clinical digital teams and CNIOs on supporting the importance of safety. I believe the introduction of the CSO Council in 2024 will assist in this vision.”

Sascha Mullen, CNIO and CSO, Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust

“With the pending review of the clinical safety DCB standards, I foresee a significant shift in the focus on clinical safety within the NHS, driving it to the very top of the agenda, and keeping it there for a little while.

“This review will not only emphasise the importance of compliance with DCB0129 and DCB0160 but also foster deeper discussions about patient safety across organisations.

“As healthcare leaders increasingly acknowledge the critical role of clinical safety in the broader digital transformation, I anticipate a surge in cross-organisational collaboration to embed robust safety practices. This will likely be accompanied by an evolution in processes, training, and governance to meet the standards effectively.

“The spotlight on clinical safety will align with the NHS’s broader goals of integrating systems, leveraging innovative technologies, and ensuring that digital investments translate into measurable patient care improvements.

“This renewed focus will catalyse meaningful conversations, emphasising that clinical safety is not just a regulatory requirement but a fundamental cornerstone of delivering safe, effective, and efficient care in a digital era.”

Chief Nursing Information Officer (CNIO) Advisory Panel

Hayley Grafton, vice chair of the CNIO Advisory Panel, CNIO, Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust

“2025 must be the year healthcare fully embraces the transformative potential of AI. As leaders and policymakers, we must position ourselves as enablers, not barriers, to progress.

As leaders and policymakers, we must position ourselves as enablers, not barriers, to progress – Hayley Grafton, CNIO Advisory Panel

“Our staff and patients are already experiencing the benefits of AI in their daily lives, and the NHS cannot afford to lag 20 years behind. Without proactive governance and rigor, the adoption of these tools could risk becoming fragmented and unregulated.”

Integrated Care Systems (ICS) Digital Council

Paul Charnley, chair of the ICS Digital Council and co-chair of the Digital Blueprinting Steering Committee, NHS England

“I am optimistic about the possibility of a new NHS 10 year plan that clearly defines what ‘analogue to digital’ truly means.

“While there are still pockets of analogue practices, the strides made in digital innovation have been significant. The challenge lies in ensuring every part of the NHS reaches the same digital standard.

“My plea is for a plan that not only outlines what is needed but also acknowledges and addresses the practical resources, investment (in people and tech), and cultural shifts required to truly achieve this vision.”

John Mitchell, associated director of digital, NHS Humber and North Yorkshire ICB

“Two predictions from me based around achieving additional benefit and value from existing investment would be: Further encouragement and support for federated data platform deployment and utilisation at system level and a push for planning for convergence of clinical records at ICS level.”

Lee Rickles, CIO, director and deputy senior information owner, Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust

“2025 is likely to be a year of both chaos and opportunity. With a new government in place, the drive to implement digital technologies within this parliamentary term will accelerate.

“NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care will need to demonstrate their value through a year of consolidation, aligning closely with ICSs and providers to maximise the return on investment in digital health.

“This dynamic will challenge ICSs to raise their game, emphasising usability, productivity, and sustainability in their digital initiatives. If ICSs fail to step up, there’s a risk of reverting to a financial firefighting model rather than leading with local innovation and strategic digital leadership.

“The push for integrated care teams and digital health systems convergence to enable the much-needed ‘left shift’—moving care closer to the community—will face significant hurdles. This must occur alongside substantial investment in acute EPRs and governance alignment within acute care.

“Achieving the left shift will demand meticulous planning, collaboration, and innovative partnerships between providers and ICSs. Success here will rely on balancing competing priorities and ensuring that the drive for convergence does not overshadow the critical goal of shifting care into the community.

There is a growing risk of over-reliance on AI, with some senior leaders viewing it as a panacea for the NHS’s challenges – Lee Rickles, ICS Digital Council

“Capital funding will remain a pivotal issue in 2025, with much of the funding unlikely to be released until the NHS 10 year business cases gain approval. The uptake of digital public dividend capital  may be limited due to associated revenue costs.

“It’s essential to ensure that funding is not only released at the right time but is structured as multi-year investments with revenue support from NHSE. Only then can we secure the sustained progress needed for long-term digital transformation.

“There is a growing risk of over-reliance on AI, with some senior leaders viewing it as a panacea for the NHS’s challenges. While AI undoubtedly has a crucial role to play in healthcare, its implementation must be thoughtful, safe, and aligned with productivity improvements and transformative outcomes.

“Unlike industries such as banking or retail, the NHS cannot afford to prioritise profit over people. Instead, we must ensure that AI enhances patient experiences, improves care quality, and remains affordable and sustainable. Centring the voice of the patient and engaging staff in co-designing AI solutions will be vital to achieving these goals.”

Nick O’Reilly, director of digital, NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB

“Financial pressures and a move to digital consolidation and shared/single digital teams mean we divert time and attention to operating models and restructuring when we should be prioritising the three shifts, treatment to prevention, analogue to digital and hospital to community –without diverting either money or people away from the big hospital digital systems and programmes.

“Another round of digital maturity assessment (DMA) that is burdensome, time-consuming and offers little practical in terms of insights and becomes a tool to mark down (if government are applying this to clinical measures, let’s not pretend they won’t to digital).

“Once again a lack of clear mandate and late and over-complicated processes to allocate money for digital transformation (nationally, regionally and at system level) means that we all do less than we could, later than we should – if only we could simplify what is available and what it can be used for we could all do better forward planning.

“If I was asked for my new year hopes I would reword the above to say that we seize the opportunities for digital to make a difference in our communities and for our citizens, engaging them in design and delivery enabling them to have more control and influence on their health and care.

“The DMA is simplified, with clear insights, some great signposts and fosters levelling up and learning from one another.  We allocate resources quickly and transparently enabling acceleration of digital transformation that reflects the needs of our different systems and communities (demographically and geographically).”

Jacqui Cooper, CNIO, Health Innovation Manchester and NHS Greater Manchester

“There is a welcome, much-needed left shift from hospital to community, in terms of digital this will require a robust review of the current community position by an experienced panel, to look at infrastructure, EPR provision, connectivity and the provision of clinical informatics teams to lead this.

“Whilst the DMA is asking questions around clinical informatic provision – there is no detail around teams behind the CCIO/CNIO, there should be more detail around the size of clinical informatics teams in comparison to the size of the organisation.

“Four out of 42 ICBs have a CNIO with varying whole time equivalent (WTE), as the largest workforce, and with a shift to increased ownership of digital transformation at ICS level there must be an expert voice in each ICB.”

Chief Information Officer (CIO) Advisory Panel

Abigail Harrison, vice chair of the CIO Advisory Panel, executive director of digital and infrastructure, Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust

“The profile of digital and data and the role we have as digital leaders in solving some of the NHS’s challenges continue to grow.

The strong focus on analogue to digital may help us come together with different partners, industry included, to get the support we need to drive change – Abigail Harrison, CIO Advisory Panel

“Legacy infrastructure, lack of funding and all of that aside, we will continue to strive to improve and will work together through our networks to support one another.

“The strong focus on analogue to digital may help us come together with different partners, industry included, to get the support we need to drive change.”