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

💽ORB Connect has announced a partnership with Patient.info, meaning that eight million monthly users of Patient.info can now access their NHS records and share them with private practitioners outside of the NHS via the ORB Connect platform.

🏨The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has upgraded its obstetric and gynaecological ultrasound reporting system to ViewPoint 6. The digital transformation was delivered in partnership with Health Net Connections Ltd and enhanced the way ultrasound data is captured, reported and shared across clinical teams.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👧The European Union has launched a €8 million SmartCHANGE programme, to develop and pilot AI-powered health tools that could transform how chronic disease is detected and prevented in children and teenagers. It is funded by the Horizon Europe programme.

🙅Sanius Health has developed an AI platform which uses predictive analysis to forecast vaso-occlusive crises, where blood flow is blocked, which are most commonly associated with sickle cell disease. The tool offers 92% sensitivity in predicting crises, with wearable and self-reported data revealing measurable declines up to a week before hospitalisation.

🧾Health tech provider DrDoctor has announced its certification as a B Corporation (or B Corp), demonstrating that it meets high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability alongside a commitment to goals beyond shareholder value.

❓Did you know?

East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust achieved a 27% reduction in consultation times for day surgery patients through taking a digital approach to managing its perioperative pathway.

Using a waiting tool list developed by Graphnet Health, the trust integrated its surgical waiting list with GP records to automatically stratify patients by risk.

Dr Simon Rang, consultant anaesthetist and lead for Perioperative Medicine at East Kent, said: “The dashboard gives us that early warning – we can see who is low-risk and who needs extra support – and individualise their care.

“In pre-operative assessment we traditionally have offered the same pre-op workup to everyone, and it’s now very clear that one size doesn’t fit all.”

As a result of the digital tool, the trust has been able to improve patient flow, deliver shorter appointments and use clinical time more efficiently.

📖 What we’re reading

The NHS could meet or even exceed its 2% annual productivity growth target if it “receives the necessary funding, investment and support to develop a highly technology-enabled system”, according to a blog, published on 21 October 2025 by The Health Foundation.

The Health Foundation’s exploration of the NHS’s productivity trajectory, brought together 14 subject matter experts from clinical, policy and research backgrounds.

A mean productivity growth rate of 2.2% was forecast by the experts if the NHS receives the funding and support it needed to drive a tech-enabled system.

They highlighted a need for a change in approach to previous digitisation efforts, including widespread cultural change, an investment in skills, and a transformation in operating models in order to support a tech-driven future for the NHS that allows productivity to flourish.

🚨Upcoming events

10 November 2025, London – Digital Health Equity Charter Community of Practice