With thanks to Steve Betts, Account Manager, Silver Buck, for sharing this with Hospital Hub
We’re riding the wave from the excitement of this year’s Digital Health Rewired 25 where over 4,000 thought leaders and trailblazers came together at Birmingham NEC to show how tech and its innovators can shape the future of digital health.
As proud PR partners for the sixth year running, and a sponsor of the Pitchfest Stage, we were inspired by the energy, groundbreaking ideas, and transformative technologies on display.
Despite the news of the recently announced NHS England abolition and ICB cuts, the atmosphere at Digital Health Rewired was optimistic and forward thinking. From visionary speakers to reconnecting with industry friends, every moment reinforced why the digital health sector is so exciting and vitally important to the future of the NHS.
Here’s a selection of some of our top takeaways from the event:
1. Tech is part of the solution
Pritesh Mistry, Digital Fellow at the King’s Fund talked about technology needing to be part of the solution to the NHS’ challenges.
He also asked delegates to consider whether we’re approaching transformation or faster horses. It’s not just about being faster. We need to think about what technology enables us to do that’s different to address the challenges in ways that can create a modern healthcare system. One that improves patient dignity, independence and empowerment.
2. Fast forwarding innovation
This year’s Rewired was proudly home to the launch of the 2025 NHS Innovation Accelerator cohort. The programme plays a vital role in driving the adoption of cutting-edge innovations to improve patient care and transform healthcare across the NHS.
In front of a jam-packed theatre, the largest ever cohort delivered fantastic pitches to showcase the potential of their innovations to transform healthcare. The launch is just the start of their exciting journey and we’re looking forward to following their progress! Congratulations to all the new Fellows.
3. Cultivating leadership skills
The event spotlighted the importance of cultivating strong leadership skills and how effective leadership can drive positive change within organisations.
It also shone a spotlight on the need to help support the next generation of digital leaders. It addressed what the current challenges are in terms of time, training, clarity – and explored what issues may be on the horizon in the future.
4. The role of AI in healthcare
AI was a common theme, highlighting how the NHS is leveraging it to drive new capabilities. However, delegates were reminded of the importance of integrating AI ethically and ensuring approaches are grounded in the unique way the NHS works:
• The integrity needs to be at the data layer, not the software layer.
• Regulation is essential.
• We need to view human and AI values as distinctly different.
• Adopt ethical principles for design and deployment, such as the Alan Turing institute’s guide for AI ethics and safety.
5. Digital care records are essential
Another recurring theme was the importance of having a digital health record for every citizen to keep their information in one central place.
Taking to the Digital Transformation Stage, Dr Charlotte Refsum, Director of Health Policy at the Tony Blair Institute, discussed in detail why she believes this approach is key to preparing the NHS for the AI era and called for a programme to create digital care records for all UK citizens within five years.
6. Diversity in healthtech
The movement towards equity and fairness in digital health continued. In part, thanks to the Equity Charter, which took a major step forward at Rewired with the launch of the Equity Charter itself – one year on from the call to action.
During a panel discussion on day one, the charter was showcased with its ten founding principles. On day two, they followed up with a practical equity workshop on how to consider equity in transformational projects. Follow this link to sign the charter and view the principles.
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