Digital Health Coffee Time Briefing ☕

Your morning summary of digital health news, information and events to know about if you want to be “in the know”.

👇 News

👩‍👩‍👧‍👦 The first patients have been recruited for a new radiotherapy trials, including the first UK patients to join the TOURIST trial, which is looking at how radiotherapy can benefit late-stage metastatic lung cancer patients. The trial will use a linear accelerator (LINAC) device to deliver high-energy beams while rotating around the patient, shortening treatment times and improving accuracy.

📲 NHS England has launched its official NHS WhatsApp channel so it can share trusted health information with the public. More than 70,000 people are already following the channel to receive short, visual messages on public health campaigns, health alerts and seasonal advice, key NHS announcements and myth-busting and fact-checking content.

👩‍💻 Healthcare professionals and student clinicians within NHS Scotland are invited to join the free CPD-accredited webinar programme: NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme’s Innovate Health: The Foundation Series. There are four online sessions focused on innovation and entrepreneurship, starting from 25 September 2025. Potential participants can reach out to the InnoScot Health team to discuss their eligibility.

🏢 Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust has undertaken a steel signing ceremony for its National Centre for Child Health Technology. The centre – which aims to be a world-leading research and technology centre – is set to open in 2026, which also marks the trust’s 150^th anniversary.

⌚ Researchers from the University of Birmingham are using Open-Motion, a wearable diagnostic tool, as part of a clinical trial that is trying to better understand the stroke recovery process. The tool uses near-infrared light to precisely track blood flow and blood volume below the surface of bodily tissue.

❓Did you know?

July 2025 saw a record number of GP appointments delivered, according to NHS England statistics published on 28 August.

Throughout July, general practice teams delivered 33.6 million appointments – up 4.3% on the year before, and an increase of 24.3% compared to 2019 and pre-pandemic levels. The month also saw the second highest number of care home visits (127,112).

Dr Amanda Doyle, national director for primary care and community services at NHS England, said: “General practice teams are busier than ever this summer, and thanks to their hard work we’ve seen another consecutive month of record numbers of appointments being provided to patients.”

🎧 What we’re listening to

In an article for LBC radio, Richard Corbridge, chief information officer and BCS Fellow, said that he believes AI is about to become the NHS’s greatest ally.

He suggests that the healthcare sector would do well to follow the example of the Department for Work and Pensions which has successfully used the tool to transform outcomes, reduce waste and save employee time.

Referring to the government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan he says: “The plan is clear that AI will not replace healthcare professionals, but it will provide them with sharper tools, faster answers, and the ability to work smarter under extraordinary pressure.”

He recommends achieving value in small but scalable ways as the best way forward, arguing “if scaled with urgency and responsibility, this revolution could mark the single most significant leap forward in how the UK delivers healthcare in a generation.”

🚨Upcoming events

5 September 2025, online event – Bridging the Digital Divide: Leadership strategies for cross-sector collaboration to reduce health inequalities