CNIOs Grafton and Balsdon confirmed for Summer Schools 2025

Hayley Grafton and Helen Balsdon, two chief nursing information officers (CNIOs) at the forefront of UK digital nursing, are the first speakers to be announced for Digital Health Summer Schools 2025.

Grafton, CNIO at University Hospitals Leicester NHS Trust and chair of the Digital Health Networks CNIO Advisory Panel, will provide an insider perspective on the 10 year health plan, where she is part of the ‘People’ working group which is strategising how best to develop a digitally enabled NHS workforce.

Balsdon, national CNIO at NHS England, leads the digitalisation of nursing and midwifery practice.

In the face of a major organisational restructure, she will share the national direction for arming the country’s 500,000 nursing workforce with the digital tools, data and analytics to support high quality care and better patient outcomes.

Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer announced plans last month to bring NHS England back into the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) with the aim of ending the duplication resulting from two organisations doing the same job.

This year’s Summer Schools, taking place 7-18 July 2025 at the University of Warwick, will explore where next for digital leadership in the NHS and how to support digital leaders to improve patient care and deliver on the aspirations of the 10 year health plan.

Nominations opened on 1 April  for the Digital Health Awards 2025, offering outstanding digital leaders the chance to be recognised for their contribution to shaping the future of NHS healthcare.

The awards, organised by Digital Health Networks, celebrate innovation, dedication and excellence across the healthcare landscape, recognising the achievements of senior NHS IT leaders and upcoming trailblazers who are driving transformation.

Held as part of Digital Health Summer Schools, the awards will take place on 17 July 2025 at the University of Warwick during the evening gala dinner.

The judges will be looking for compelling examples of leadership, innovation, and measurable impact in each of the following categories: chief clinical information officer (CCIO) of the year, chief information officer (CIO) of the year, CNIO of the year, clinical safety officer (CSO) of the year, and rising star.

Nominations are now open and will close on 9 May 2025.

Voting will then take place between 21 May and 10 June 2025 before all applicants are notified and finalists announced during the week commencing 16 June 2025.

Join senior NHS IT leaders for the two-day residential Summer Schools event featuring CCIO, CIO and CNIO leadership breakout sessions; topic workshops spanning AI ethics, clinical safety, benefits realisation; and NHS digital leadership case studies.

Register here to attend.