Full conference agenda:

 

08:15 Refreshments and networking

 

08:55 Chairs’ welcome - Melanie De Witt & Peter Wathen, Network co-chairs, South West Digital Health & Care Skills Development Network

 

09:05 Let’s Talk Architecture: a national update from the CTO - Sonia Patel, Chief Technology Officer, NHS England

 

09:45 An overview of Ambient AI and the Primary Care Lab (CoDE) - John McCormick, Chief Clinical Innovation Lead, NHS England South West

 

10:30   Refreshments and networking

 

11:00 Biconically beautiful - Motivational speaker Tilly Lockey, bionic arm advocate, model, influencer, Open Bionics

 

11:45 - South West Snapshots + Q&A

 

• Bath and North East Somerset Council – Referral Management System Callum Graham-Robertson Programme and Project Manager (transformation) Strategic Commissioning Hub, Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES) Council and Paul Targett, Director, RIVIAM Digital Care

• Cornwall Council - Preventative Tech Enabled Care - Oliver Sleeman, Strategic Commissioning Lead, Tech Enabled Care People Commissioning, Care and Wellbeing, Cornwall Council

• NHS Somerset ICS – Data sharing and SIDeR - Lucie Laker, Chief Data Officer, Somerset ICS

• South Western Ambulance Service - Our Digital Journey so far Stuart Glanville, Digital and Information Transformation Business Change Manager, South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust and Tom Hart, Senior Clinical Lead – Digital, South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust

 

12:45   Lunch, exhibition and networking

 

13:45 Breakout sessions (all sessions will be repeated. Please attend 2 of 4)

 

• Session 1a: The Federated Data Platform 

• Angela Knibb, Regional Delivery Manager, South Region – Federated Data Programme, NHS England, Claudia Lambert, Regional Implementation Lead, and Andy Smith, Deputy Regional Delivery Manager 

• Session 2a: Digital Literacy

• Francesca Rees, Senior Information Officer for Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals, University Hospitals Plymouth

• Session 3a: Cyber-security and patient care, what’s the risk?

• Ian Fletcher, Regional Security Lead, NHS England

• Session 4a: Elevating voices: Diverse leadership and the future of NHS digital

• Bernie Clarke, Managing Director, Evolution Digital Health

• Katherine Potts, Chief Digital Officer, University Hospitals Plymouth

• Jennifer Frampton, Head of Solution Architecture and Digital Transformation, Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

• Liz Staveacre, CNIO, Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust

 

14:30 – Refreshments and networking

 

15:00 - Breakout sessions (repeated slot) - as above

 

15:40 - Are we doing digital right? James Freed, NHS Digital Academy, NHS England

 

16:15 - Chairs’ close - Melanie De Witt & Peter Wathen, Network co-chairs, South West Digital Health & Care Skills Development Network

 

Confirmed speakers:

Keynote speakers:

Sonia Patel, Chief Technology Officer, NHS England

James Freed, Deputy Director, The NHS Digital Academy

John McCormick, GP Partner & Chief Clinical Information Officer, NHS Devon ICS

Tilly Lockey, Motivational Speaker, Open Bionics

 

South West Snapshots:

Preventative Tech Enabled Care - Cornwall Council - Oliver Sleeman, Strategic Commissioning Lead, Tech Enabled Care People Commissioning, Care and Wellbeing

Referral management system - Bath & North East Somerset Council - Callum Graham-Robertson, Programme and Project Manager (transformation) Strategic Commissioning Hub, 

SIDeR+ Somerset Data Sharing - Somerset ICS - Lucie Laker, Chief Data Officer

Our digital journey so far - South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust - Stuart Glanville, Digital and Information Transformation Business Change Manager and Tom Hart, 
Senior Clinical Lead - Digital

 

Workshop facilitators:

Bernadette Clarke, Managing Director, Evolution Digital Health 

Francesca Rees, Senior Information Officer for Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals, University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust

Ian Fletcher, Regional Security Lead (South West) Cyber Operations, NHS England

Angela Knibb, Regional Delivery Manager - South Region, NHS England

  

Hosts:

Melanie De Witt, Chief Nursing Information Officer & Associate Chief Nursing Officer, North Bristol NHS Trust

Peter Wathen, Head of Digital Transformation, Gloucestershire ICS

 

24 June 2025, Sandy Park Conference Centre, Exeter

The South West Connect Conference is a learning and development event and is the largest face to face event for the network. The conference brings together digital health and care colleagues from across the region.

The programme is designed as a chance for you to meet, network and connect with new and old colleagues, hearing from both regional and national leaders in digital health and care as well as case studies in best practice.  

The conference is the largest face to face event for the network. It brings together 150+ digital health and care colleagues from across the region including CNIO, CCIO and digital transformation leads to network and connect and to hear from regional and national leaders in digital health and care as well as case studies in best practice.

 

Cancellation policy 

The South West Digital Health and Social Care Skills Development Network are providing this event free of charge, by completing this registration, you hereby agree to the following:

Failure to attend will result in you being charged a fee of £42.50. A late cancellation fee of £42.50 will apply to ticket holders who cancel within 5 days of the event start date.