September wrap-up: What the techUK Health and Social Care Programme delivered

September has been an important month for techUK’s Health and Social Care Programme, marked by significant progress in convening stakeholders around some of the sector’s most pressing priorities including reforming social care, and advancing digital transformation.

One of the major highlights was the relaunch of the Social Care Working Group. A significant step forward in ensuring that social care has a stronger, more consistent voice within the digital transformation agenda.

At the inaugural meeting we were delighted to host Sally Warren, Interim Director General for Adult Social Care at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), for an opening conversation with members.

Sally provided invaluable insights on the policy environment surrounding adult social care, highlighting the long-standing challenges of sustainable funding, workforce shortages, and system integration, while also recognising the growing opportunities for innovation and technology adoption.

In parallel, our team has been working closely with NHS England on its digital architecture and procurement agenda. A well-attended roundtable with Sonia Patel, CTO at NHS England, centred on the development of the One Digital Architecture Charter, an initiative designed to bring consistency, interoperability, and sustainability to how health systems adopt technology.

Sonia stressed the importance of creating a shared vision for digital transformation across NHS organisations and suppliers. techUK will continue to liaise with Sonia and her team on this important initiative!

Complementing this, we also hosted a high-level dialogue with the NHS London Procurement Partnership (LPP). This session provided members with direct insights into how LPP is approaching procurement transformation, its alignment with the national digital architecture strategy, and opportunities for industry collaboration to deliver value for patients.

Events Summaries

Industry Briefing with Claire Harrison, Chief Digital and Technology Officer at the MHRA

Claire Harrison shared her priorities for strengthening the MHRA’s digital and technology capabilities, highlighting opportunities for partnership with industry to improve regulatory processes and ensure patient safety.

Industry Briefing with Paul Jones, CDIO at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Paul Jones outlined Leeds’ digital strategy, including the rollout of its EHR programme and efforts to integrate systems across the region, with a focus on improving patient outcomes and supporting frontline staff.

Health Innovation Network Industry Briefing: Defining the Size of Health Innovation Prize Report

The Health Innovation Network presented findings from its Health Innovation Prize report, offering insights into the scale and value of innovation in the NHS and opportunities to better support innovators across the ecosystem.

King’s Fund Industry Briefing: More than Just Hype – How Emerging AI Use is Assisting Health and Social Care

The King’s Fund shared its latest research on the practical uses of AI in health and social care, exploring both the opportunities and challenges of scaling AI solutions responsibly and effectively across the system.

Viola Pastorino

Junior Programme Manager, Health and Care Team, techUK

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.

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Health and Social Care Programme activities

techUK is helping its members navigate the complex space of digital health in the UK to ensure our NHS and social care sector is prepared for the challenges of the future. We help validate new ideas and build impactful strategies, ultimately ensuring that members are market-ready. Visit the programme page here.