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The session marked the start of deeper collaboration between the telecoms industry and the health sector as the NHS continues to build the robust connectivity needed to deliver on the 10 Year Health Plan for England.
The Plan outlines a shift toward community-based care, digital-first services, and equitable access across geographies. These goals rely on seamless, secure connectivity for video consultations and real-time access to clinical systems wherever care is delivered.
The webinar introduced NHS England’s Networks and Connectivity Programme, which aims to ensure all NHS organisations have resilient and efficient networks and the required level of fixed and wireless connectivity across all sites and into the community. The programme builds on previous investment in NHS infrastructure and enters a new four-year phase focused on discovery, consultation, and delivery.
During 2025—26 NHS England are seeking engagement from industry partners to help identify innovative solutions.
One key area of discussion was improving connectivity for NHS staff working in community settings, including nurses, midwives, General Practitioners (GPs), and paramedics. As care increasingly shifts out of hospitals and into homes and local clinics, staff require reliable, real-time access to electronic records and clinical systems, as well as tools for remote consultation.
Yet, connectivity in domestic and rural environments remains highly variable. Many clinicians struggle with inconsistent mobile coverage indoors, particularly in hard-to-reach areas. In some cases, staff must travel long distances simply to upload data or access systems, leading to delays and inefficiencies. The industry was asked to consider how existing or emerging technologies, whether mobile, Wi-Fi, or hybrid models, could better support care in these settings.
The second challenge explored network resilience for GP surgeries and community clinics. While many of these sites have moved to fibre broadband to support cloud services and digital communications, they often rely on a single connection. Any outage can severely disrupt patient care.
Currently, only a minority of sites have a reliable backup in place. This has created a growing need for cost-effective failover solutions, such as mobile backup or alternative network routing, to ensure “always-on” connectivity. With primary care central to achieving the aims of the 10 Year Health Plan, ensuring the resilience of local networks is an urgent priority.
NHS England outlined its approach to supporting improved connectivity through a combination of national standards, guidance, and targeted local investment. A major focus is on creating consistent expectations across the system, from unified Wi-Fi and roaming to benchmarks for network resilience, while still allowing local flexibility in implementation.
Rather than mandating specific technologies, NHS England will support NHS providers and other local organisations with packages of funding that can be spent on solutions tailored to meet their needs. Central funding will also be considered for national capabilities or tools that deliver value at scale. This flexible approach aims to balance local autonomy with system-wide alignment.
The webinar brought together expertise from across healthcare and the telecoms industry. It reinforced the critical role connectivity plays in enabling safe, efficient, and modern care delivery.
The conversation will continue in early 2026 with a follow-up roundtable at techUK’s London offices on 15 January. This in-person session will bring together selected stakeholders and industry to explore solutions in more depth and shape the next phase of work.
Programme Manager ‑ Health and Social Care, techUK
Lewis brings a multidisciplinary background spanning health policy, stakeholder engagement, digital innovation, and elite sport. A former Commonwealth Games champion, he draws on the resilience, adaptability, and team-driven mindset gained through years of high-performance competition.
Before joining techUK, Lewis supported a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons, where he led on constituency engagement and produced evidence-based research to inform debates, committee work, and policy advocacy. He has also helped shape youth wellbeing policy through the Youth Sport Trust, collaborating with government, education, and grassroots networks to drive impact.
Lewis has played key roles in health tech and mobility startups, helping to bring innovative solutions to market and improve user experience in complex systems. With a degree in Biochemistry and Pharmacology, he combines analytical thinking with a passion for evidence-led, people-centred change.
techUK drives public sector digital transformation by uniting the public sector and tech industry. Through early market engagement, efficient procurement, and innovative technology adoption, we help to modernise legacy IT, and enable efficient, secure, and personalised services.
Get involved: We run a busy calendar of activity including events, reports, and insights that demonstrate some of the most significant digital transformation opportunities for the sector. Our Transforming Public Services Hub is where you will find details of all upcoming activities. We also send a monthly public services newsletter to which you can subscribe here.
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Associate Director, Local Public Services, techUK
Associate Director, Local Public Services, techUK
Georgina is techUK’s Associate Director for Local Public Services
Georgina works with suppliers that are active or looking to break into the market as well as with local public services to create the conditions for meaningful transformation. techUK regularly bring together local public services and supplier community to horizon scan and explore how the technologies of today and tomorrow can help solve some of the most pressing problems our communities face and improve outcomes for our people and places.
Prior to techUK, Georgina worked for a public policy events company where she managed the policy briefing division and was responsible for generating new ideas for events that would add value to the public sector. Georgina worked across a number of portfolios from education, criminal justice, and health but had a particular interest in public sector transformation and technology. Georgina also led on developing relationships across central and local government.
If you’d like to learn more about techUK, or want to get involved, get in touch.
Associate Director, Central Government and Education, techUK
Associate Director, Central Government and Education, techUK
Heather is Associate Director, Central Government and Education at techUK, working to represent the tech supplier community to Central Government.
She started as Head of Central Government at techUK in April 2022 and was promoted to Associate Director in August 2025 supporting both the Central Government and Education programmes.
Prior to joining techUK in April 2022, Heather worked in the Economic Policy and Small States Section at the Commonwealth Secretariat. She led the organisation’s FinTech programme and worked to create an enabling environment for developing countries to take advantage of the socio-economic benefits of FinTech.
Before moving to the UK, Heather worked at the Office of the Prime Minister of The Bahamas and the Central Bank of The Bahamas.
Heather holds a Graduate Diploma in Law from BPP, a Masters in Public Administration (MPA) from LSE, and a BA in Economics and Sociology from Macalester College.
Associate Director, Defence and National Security, techUK
Associate Director, Defence and National Security, techUK
Fred is responsible for techUK's activities across the Defence and National Security sectors, working to provide members with access to key stakeholders across the Defence and National Security community. Before taking on the role of Associate Director for Defence and National Security, Fred joined techUK in 2018, working as the Programme Head for Defence at techUK, leading the organisation's engagement with the Ministry of Defence. Before joining techUK, he worked at ADS, the national trade association representing Aerospace, Defence, Security & Space companies in the UK.
Fred is responsible for techUK’s market engagement and policy development activities across the Defence and National Security sectors, working closely with various organisations within the Ministry of Defence, and across the wider National Security and Intelligence community. Fred works closely with many techUK member companies that have an interest in these sectors, and is responsible for the activities of techUK's senior Defence & Security Board. Working closely with techUK's Programme Head for Cyber Security, Fred oversees a broad range of activities for techUK members.
Outside of work, Fred's interests include football (a Watford FC fan) and skiing.
Programme Manager, Education and EdTech, techUK
Programme Manager, Education and EdTech, techUK
Austin leads techUK’s Education and EdTech programme, shaping strategies that support the digital transformation of schools, colleges, and universities. His work focuses on strengthening the UK’s education technology ecosystem, enhancing core technology foundations, and advancing the adoption of emerging technologies to improve educational outcomes.
Austin also chairs the EdTech Advisory Panel for AI in Education, contributing to national discussions on the future of EdTech, AI, and the UK's Education system.
Head of Health & Social Care, techUK
Head of Health & Social Care, techUK
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!
Senior Programme Manager, techUK
Senior Programme Manager, techUK
Raya Tsolova is a Programme Manager at techUK.
Prior to joining techUK, Raya worked in Business Development for an expert network firm within the institutional investment space. Before this Raya spent a year in industry working for a tech start-up in London as part of their Growth team which included the formation and development of a 'Let's Talk Tech' podcast and involvement in London Tech Week.
Raya has a degree in Politics and International Relations (Bsc Hons) from the University of Bath where she focused primarily on national security and counter-terrorism policies, centreing research on female-led terrorism and specific approaches to justice there.
Outside of work, Raya's interests include baking, spin classes and true-crime Netflix shows!
Programme Manager - Justice & Emergency Services, techUK
Programme Manager - Justice & Emergency Services, techUK
Cinzia joined techUK in August 2023 as the Justice and Emergency Services (JES) Programme Manager.
The JES programme represents suppliers, championing their interests in the blue light and criminal justice markets, whether they are established entities or newcomers seeking to establish their presence.
Prior to joining techUK, Cinzia worked in the third and public sectors, managing projects related to international trade and social inclusion.