About us
This guide has been prepared jointly by NHS Providers and Public Digital as part of the Digital Boards programme. Through good practice sharing and peer learning, the programme aims to build board understanding of the potential and implications of the digital agenda and increase the confidence and capability of boards to harness the opportunities it provides.
Alongside our guide series, a number of webinars and events are available to trust leaders, focusing on case studies of digital leadership in the NHS and other sectors along with practical take homes for boards. The programme is also offering free board development sessions on a bespoke basis to reflect the development needs of your organisation. To find out more please contact us.
The guide
The Digital Boards programme is commissioned by NHS England as part of their Digital Academy programmes.
Across the provider sector, trust boards are reappraising their digital ambitions in light of the rapid changes made over the past few years. For many, this will involve refreshing or renewing their digital strategies, while others are starting afresh.
Some trusts have been fortunate enough to have secured funding for these plans – perhaps following several years of underinvestment – while others are having to manage within existing budgets.
We've designed this guide for all board leaders: from those directly involved in digital transformation, to others who have an oversight role and will review and approve digital strategies. All executive and non-executive board members should take responsibility for the digital strategy.
We recommend all board leaders read the first two parts of this guide: What makes a successful digital strategy? and Questions for boards. For those who want to understand the details, we've broken down each step of building a digital strategy into a standalone section.
The NHS is full of people with good ideas who want to do the best they can. This is about giving them opportunities, providing space and resources, and backing them to flourish. Don't be worried about not knowing the technology. As a chief executive you know your business. Get the right people around you to make it brilliant. What you do need, however, is a vision for your services, patients and staff.
Chief Executive, Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust
My chief executive's advice to me was to make sure I wasn't owning the digital strategy. It is the board who must own it. My role as chief information officer is to coordinate and draw together a collective view of where we're going as an organisation.
Former Chief Information Officer, Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust