NHS Providers has signed a three year contract with Health Education England to deliver a new development programme for boards to support them in leading the digital transformation agenda.

The Digital boards programme will be available to all 217 provider trusts and will focus on sharing good practice and peer learning on digital transformation through a range of events, publications and board development sessions. NHS Providers is partnering with the digital transformation consultancy Public Digital to deliver much of the programme.

Responding to the announcement, deputy chief executive of NHS Providers Saffron Cordery said:

"Digital transformation is crucial in enabling the NHS to face the challenges of the future and  improve services for patients and service users.

"Now more than ever, this agenda must be led by NHS boards in order to harness these opportunities.

"The coronavirus pandemic has shown that the NHS is capable of adapting quickly to new ways of working. The progress made on digital transformation in such a short space of time is extraordinary. There is simply no going back to the old ways of working.

"We look forward to rolling out our new ‘Digital Boards’ programme to NHS leaders when it is appropriate to do so. Our offer will support trusts to build on much of the work that is already underway."

Patrick Mitchell, director of innovation and transformation in Health Education England (HEE) added:

"HEE warmly welcomes this new partnership with NHS Providers and Public Digital who will be working with colleagues in NHS trusts to support them on their digital journey. COVID-19 has brought to light how much we can achieve in Digital transformation in such a short space of time and we expect to see tremendous demand for these services as a result."