Introduction to the New Hospital Programme
techUK’s briefing on the New Hospital Programme (NHP) welcomed Matt Gardner, Head of Digital Transformation, and Sarah Thomas, Digital Director.
Matt and Sarah presented to techUK members on plans to deliver 48 new hospitals by 2030, a joint venture between the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the NHS. This is a transformation programme that aims to support the NHS to deliver healthcare suitable for the future.
The NHP has 4 main objectives:
- Building national capacity
- Achieving high quality and sustainable care
- Creating intelligent hospitals
- Delivering a better, faster, and sustainable legacy
Matt and Sarah stressed that a business-as-usual approach will not suffice, and that the Programme would need to ask more of the market than its current capacity, requiring the adoption of new methods and approaches.
It was great to hear the intention to capitalise on the ‘wave of innovation’ in healthcare delivery, and the recognition that digital sits at the centre of this Programme. techUK has long called for digital to be recognised as foundational, rather than the ‘bolt on’ to the wider hospital system it has often been viewed as.
Likewise, techUK often emphasise the importance of joined up working across different NHS programmes, and it was fantastic to see the number of existing workstreams that will be feeding in to NHP, including frontline digitisation, digitising adult social care, digital pathology, and others.
Following 5 key principles, the NHP team want to “define, deliver and optimise the Intelligent Hospital of the future, for the NHS”. These principles are digitally empowered patients, interoperable and intelligent systems, digitally enabled staff, hospitals without walls supporting integrated care, and smart building.
This session will serve as a springboard for more detailed engagement going forward. If you would like to find out more about techUK’s work with NHS England, please contact a member of the team below.
You can watch the full recording from the event below:
Robert Walker
Robert Walker
Robert joined techUK in October 2022, where he is now Programme Manager for Health and Social Care.
Robert previously worked at the Pension Protection Fund, within the policy and public affairs team. Prior to this, he worked at the Scottish Parliament, advising politicians and industry stakeholders on a wide range of issues, including rural crime and health policies.
Robert has a degree in Politics and International Relations (MA Hons) from the University of Aberdeen, with a particular focus on strategic studies and energy security. Outside of work he enjoys activities such as running, rugby, boxing and cooking!
- Email:
- [email protected]
Viola Pastorino
Viola Pastorino
Viola Pastorino is a policy, governance, and strategic communication specialist.
She joined techUK as the Junior Programme Manager in the Health and Care Team in April 2024.
She has obtained a Bachelor of Sciences in Governance, Economics, and Development from Leiden University, and a Master's programme in Strategic Communications at King's College London. Her academic background, leading up to a dissertation on AI policy influence and hands-on campaign development, is complemented by practical experience in international PR and grassroots project management.
She is skilled in qualitative and quantitative analysis and comfortable communicating findings to varying stakeholders. Above all, she is deeply passionate about the intersection of technology and government, especially how technology and global discourse shape one another, the processes that lead to belief polarisation and radicalisation of communities, and crafting strategic narratives that steer public discourse.
Outside of work she loves reading, live music light operation, and diving.
Rachel Kennedy
Rachel Kennedy
Rachel joined techUK in December 2024, as a Programme Manager in the Health and Social Care team.
Prior to this, Rachel worked at a specialist health and social care public affairs agency, working with a range of organisations and trade bodies across the medical technology, pharmaceutical, digital health and social care sectors. As well as this, Rachel was part of the Secretariat for a number of health and care related All-Party Parliamentary Groups.
Rachel has a Masters in Global Governance and Diplomacy from the University of Leeds, as well as a first-class honours in Politics BA from Newcastle University.
Tracy Modha
Tracy Modha
Tracy supports the marketing of several areas at techUK, including Cyber Exchange, Central Government, Cyber Resilience, Defence, Education, Health and Social Care, Justice and Emergency Services, Local Public Services, Nations and Regions and National Security.
Tracy joined techUK in March 2022, having worked in the education sector for 19 years, covering administration, research project support, IT support and event/training support. My most outstanding achievement has been running three very successful international conferences and over 300 training courses booked all over the globe!
Tracy has a great interest in tech. Gaming and computing have been a big part of her life, and now electric cars are an exciting look at the future. She has warmed to Alexa, even though it can sometimes be sassy!
- Email:
- [email protected]
- Phone:
- 02073312000
- Website:
- www.techuk.org
- LinkedIn:
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracymodha83
Francesca Richiusa
Francesca Richiusa
Fran serves as the Programme Team Assistant within techUK’s Public Sector Market Programmes, where she is responsible for delivering comprehensive team support, managing administrative functions, and fostering strong relationships with members.
Prior to joining techUK in May 2025, Fran built a meaningful career in the charitable and local government sectors. She worked extensively with both victims and perpetrators of crime, and notably led the coordination of Domestic Homicide Reviews across Surrey—an initiative aimed at identifying lessons and preventing future incidents of domestic abuse.
Outside of work, Fran is an avid traveller and a proud cat mum who enjoys unwinding with her feline companions.
- Email:
- [email protected]
- Website:
- www.techuk.org/
- LinkedIn:
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/francesca-richiusa/