The Glasshouse, Gateshead, 21 October 2026
Following the success of the 2025 event, where Sir Jim Mackey gave the keynote and I launched A Fresh Mandate for Digital Leadership in the NHS, Global Government Forum returned to the North East on 21 October 2026 with Making Digital Deliver for the NHS, at The Glasshouse in Gateshead. I convened and chaired the day.
The NHS has no shortage of digital ambition. The challenge is turning strategy into measurable improvements for patients, staff and taxpayers. The event brought together the leaders responsible for delivering that change across health and care, and concentrated on what it takes in practice: what works, what doesn’t and how to scale it. It was for NHS digital, clinical and executive leaders, for colleagues in local government and the wider public sector, and for the region’s technology community.
Sir Jim Mackey, chief executive of NHS England, gave the introduction, and Rob Thompson, chief digital, data and technology officer at the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England, gave the keynote. The first panel discussed what it will take to deliver the 10 Year Health Plan at national, regional and local level. A second session looked at how the NHS and its technology suppliers work together.
Panel, left to right:
- Andrew Besford, Non-executive Director, Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust (chair)
- Dr Sean Fenwick, Chief Executive, Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust
- Rob Thompson, Chief Digital, Data and Technology Officer, Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England
- Philippa Kirkpatrick, Chief Information Officer, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Charlotte Williams, Deputy Chief Executive, North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust
- Markus Bolton, Executive Director, Graphnet Health
The afternoon was in a workshop format, designed so that people could work with others on the questions that matter most to them: scaling AI, digital capability, the role of the digital centre, what NHS boards need, the resilience of the foundations, and trust in health data.
Event details #
Making Digital Deliver for the NHS
Media coverage #
NHS digital chief outlines vision for ‘revolution’ in healthcare delivery and tougher technology standards, Global Government Forum, 22 October 2026