techUK Health and Social Care programme: H1 2026 review
This has been the busiest year in the history of the techUK Health and Social Care programme. Between January and July 2026, the programme delivered 42 member-facing sessions with more than 15 partner organisations, spanning national arm's-length bodies, regulators, NHS trusts, local authorities, devolved government, parliamentary inquiries and independent research bodies.
Six months in: what the programme delivered, and what's still to come
This has been the busiest year in the history of the techUK Health and Social Care programme. Between January and July 2026, the programme delivered 42 member-facing sessions with more than 15 partner organisations, spanning national arm's-length bodies, regulators, NHS trusts, local authorities, devolved government, parliamentary inquiries and independent research bodies.
Each session delivered this year delivered on six key value propositions for techUK members: shaping policy and regulation, give early sight of what's coming, co-design national programmes before they are fixed, open a commercial engagement routes to buyers, explore untapped markets, and build relationships among industry leaders and public sector stakeholders.
Shaping policy and regulation, turning member expertise into national influence
techUK convened members to build a single, coherent industry response to the MHRA's call for evidence on AI regulation in healthcare. Members shaped the submission directly sharing insights on on risk proportionality, post-market surveillance, liability, device classification and duplication in NHS assurance. Within this stream of work, techUK delivered member forum discussions, a roundtable with MHRA officials, and a HSC Council Meeting with Professor Alastair Denniston.
When the National Commission for the Regulation of AI in Healthcare published its findings in June, six of the ten key findings mapped directly onto positions techUK had proactively put forward. The Commission's recommendations will directly inform the new regulatory framework committed to under the 10 Year Health Plan and the Life Sciences Sector Plan.
A member forum to provide a direct channel into the parliamentary inquiry, allowing members to feed commercial and technical reality into evidence that shapes the legislative conversation on personalised medicine and AI.
The Leeds Health and Social Care Industry Dinner brought senior leaders together in the heart of the NHS. It brought almost three hundred C-suite leaders together with senior figures from NHS England, DHSC, the MHRA and the Health Data Research Service, with keynotes from Dr Melanie Ivarsson OBE, Chief Executive of HDRS, on the mandate to consolidate the fragmented data pots, access pathways and approval committees that keep unmatched UK health data inaccessible and Lawrence Tallon, Chief Executive of the MHRA, on regulation as a catalyst rather than a barrier, previewing the three principles guiding the National Commission.
The CareTech Conference was techUK's first ever summit dedicated to social care, convening leaders from across the sector on priorities, challenges and practical solutions at scale. It anchored the Reimagining CareTech focus week and led directly to the launch of the programme's flagship white paper, Why digital adult social care transformation is central to the future of the NHS, developed through the Social Care Working Groug. The report showcased how the technology to deliver the 10 Year Plan's ambitions already exists and what is missing is the coordination layer to deploy it. Predictive monitoring, interoperable records, AI-enabled decision support and digital telecare are mature capabilities that can be acted on now.
Early access and horizon scanning
This year the programme delivered a series of policy reviews to synthetise everything that moved across health, social care and life sciences policy, translated into what it means for commercial planning rather than left as a list of announcements. This series culminated into an experts’ panel briefing sessions to outline the intricacies and wider implications of the NHS Modernisation Bill (Full write-up: The NHS Modernisation Bill: what health tech suppliers need to know).
We also delivered industry briefings on:
DTAC with the DHSC and NHS England Joint Policy Unit
Understanding MHRA regulation for software and devices with MHRA officials. A practical grounding in how software and device regulation actually applies, aimed at removing the classification uncertainty that slows down product and go-to-market decisions, particularly tailored for SMEs without in-house regulatory teams.
The Single Patient Record was the programme's deepest engagement of the year. In a single week in March, techUK convened almost 200 industry leaders across an industry briefing and four co-design roundtables on delivery, adoption and interoperability. This was the first structured route for the supply chain into what is now a statutory commitment in the NHS Modernisation Bill, and the point at which techUK became the convening mechanism between the SPR team and the market. Series 2 picked up the questions the sector cares most about: how a pilot becomes a multi-site deployment, with members bringing delivery experience directly to the team designing the rollout, and how the SPR connects into the wider health ecosystem. A third session will be scheduled in Q4 to complete the series and address the themes of cyber resilience and clinical assurance.
The Technology Blueprint ran as a deliberate two-stage arc. NHS England's CTO Sonia Patel presented the Blueprint directly to industry leaders, giving members early sight of national technology strategy and opening a dialogue rather than delivering a one-off briefing. The follow-through came in a working session where members stress-tested the Blueprint against the NHS 10 Year Health Plan and worked through the practical questions of where delivery happens and how.
Networks and Connectivity
Roundtables and 1:1 supplier meetings with NHS England Networks and Connectivity Programme (Event page)
Building on the October 2025 webinar, January's in-person roundtable brought telecoms, health tech and care delivery together on two concrete problems: reliable, secure connectivity for staff delivering care in patients' homes and community settings, and resilience in primary care sites as digital-first models become central. Its output fed directly into the next phase of NHS England's Networks and Connectivity Programme work, and a follow-on session sustained industry input as the programme moved forward. The engagement then deepened into 1:1 sessions between members and the programme team.
Other national programme engagement
NHS England core services supplier engagement series: 26/27 priorities and deliverables
Delivering the 10 Year Plan and the required 2% productivity gains depends on adoption of national capabilities, and on NHS England, systems and suppliers working together in a more systematic, insight-driven way. This session gave members the 26/27 priorities and deliverables first-hand, with the reasoning behind them.
DCH / care providers / stakeholder process mapping
Workshop with DCH and adult social care providers
A hands-on mapping session bringing suppliers, providers and stakeholders around the same process, surfacing where digital actually breaks in care delivery, and giving members grounded insight that no market report replicates.
Yorkshire and Humber Health Innovation Network event
Regional engagement with Yorkshire and Humber HIN
Regional route into an innovation network with its own adoption pipelines and priorities, extending the programme's reach beyond national bodies and London.
Commercial and pre-procurement access
The most commercially tangible category. Every session here put members in front of an organisation with a live or forthcoming requirement, at the point where market input still changes the specification.
NHSBT DASP procurement
Pre-market engagement roundtables with NHS Blood and Transplant
Two structured pre-market sessions on NHSBT's Digital and Sourcing Programme, covering technology and business change and then implementation in more depth. Together they gave members visibility of scope, sequencing and appetite well ahead of formal procurement, and gave NHSBT a realistic view of what the market can actually deliver.
NHS Urgent and Emergency Care managed telephony services: engagement opportunity
In partnership with techUK, NHS England sought market engagement with experienced organisations to support development of a procurement for NHS 111, 119 and 999 national telephony infrastructure services, one of the largest and most operationally critical requirements in the system.
University Hospitals of Leicester and Northamptonshire Group
Direct engagement with one of the NHS's major collaborative procurement organisations signposting framework routes, pipeline and how to be positioned when opportunities open.
Hammersmith and Fulham Council market engagement: technology-enabled social care
Local authority commissioning is where most technology-enabled care is actually bought, and it is the hardest market for suppliers to read. This session opened the council's intentions directly to members.
Practical guidance on using the new SME Playbook to compete, turning a published document into something members can act on, with the people behind it in the room.
Exploring emerging markets
Industry roundtable: health wearables, data standards and NHS integration
Wearables generate enormous volumes of data that the NHS currently cannot systematically use. This roundtable tackled data standards and integration pathways.
Digital therapeutics (DTx) roundtable
Roundtable
Convening on a category that still lacks settled routes for evidence, reimbursement and adoption, giving DTx members a collective voice.
What comes next
The rest of the year ahead promises to maintain the momentum with Health and Care Summit (8 October) and the Health and Care London Dinner (11 November), alongside deeper engagement with NHS leadership bodies including Frontline Productivity and SPR and devolved nations including Scotland and Wales. Lastly, elections for the next Health and Social Care Council will take place in the coming quarter, with full details following in September.
If you are not yet a techUK member, you can reach out to the Health and Social Care team to discover how to engage with our work and access the opportunities ahead. If you are a member and want to get more involved in a specific workstream, we would love to hear from you.
Robert Walker
Head of Health & Social Care, techUK
Robert Walker
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!
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.
Lewis Stewart
Programme Manager ‑ Health and Social Care, techUK
Lewis Stewart
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.
Junior Programme Manager, Health and Care Team, techUK
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.
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.
New techUK white paper: Why digital adult social care transformation is central to the future of the NHS
The technology to deliver the NHS 10-Year Plan's ambitions already exists — what's missing is the coordination layer to deploy it at scale. techUK's flagship white paper, developed through the Social Care Working Group, argues that predictive monitoring, interoperable records, AI-enabled decision support and digital telecare are mature capabilities ready to act on now, using existing funding through NHS prevention budgets, the Better Care Fund and Section 75 flexibilities.
techUK's Reimagining CareTech focus week brings together policymakers, NHS and local government leaders, care providers and technology suppliers around one shared question: how do we turn the ambitions of the NHS 10-Year Plan into delivery on the ground? Set against the backdrop of the Casey Commission, local government reorganisation and the accelerating shift from analogue to digital, the week surfaces practical insight, evidence and perspectives from across the sector.
Explore how technology is transforming adult social care, from digital innovation to service delivery at scale. Hear from leaders across the sector on priorities, challenges and practical solutions improving outcomes for people and providers. Join the conversation to understand where caretech is delivering impact and what comes next.
Our members develop strong networks, build meaningful partnerships and grow their businesses as we all work together to create a thriving environment where industry, government and stakeholders come together to realise the positive outcomes tech can deliver.
