Date: Tuesday 2nd October
Time: 10:00am – 11:50am
Location: Online (Goto Webinar)
We’re excited to announce the first in a series of three WMHTIA Cluster Events taking place over the coming months. Focusing on helping innovators navigate digital transformation in alignment with the NHS 3 Radical Shifts 10 year plan.
Event Agenda
WMHTIA Cluster Event – Digital: Empowering Innovators to Engage with the NHS of Tomorrow – Helping innovators navigate digital transformation in light of the NHS 10-Year Plan
10:00 AM – 10:05 AM: Welcome & Housekeeping
An introduction to the event theme, format, and objectives.
10:05 AM – 11:15 AM: Insight 1 – Unlocking Healthcare Data: The NHS’s Digital Transformation Journey
Presented by Medilink Midlands
Discover how the NHS’s shift from analogue to digital is unlocking the power of healthcare data to drive more personalised, efficient, and sustainable care for the future.
Q&A: 11:15 – 11:20
10:20 AM – 10:45 AM: Insight 2 – Building Digital Health Tools for the NHS
Presented by Cogniss
Explore how to design and deploy effective, scalable digital apps tailored for NHS use — from prototype to practical implementation.
Q&A: 10:40 – 10:45
10:45 AM – 11:05 AM: Insight 3 – Empowering AI in Healthcare
Presented by HealthTech AI Hub (University of Birmingham)
This session will explore how AI-driven innovations are being fostered within healthcare and how organisations like the AI Hub are playing a vital role in supporting safe, effective, and scalable adoption.
Q&A: 11:05 – 11:10
11:10 AM – 11:20 AM: Open Networking Break
An informal space to connect with peers, share ideas, and build new collaborations.
11:20 AM – 11:40 PM: Interactive Workshop – Tackling Barriers in a Digital NHS
Engage in discussion around real-world challenges facing digital health innovators — including managing regulatory uncertainty, addressing hesitancy within healthcare settings, and improving public and patient involvement (PPIE) in digital innovation.
11:40 AM – 11:50 PM: Reflections & Closing Discussion
Key takeaways, shared insights, and next steps for innovators seeking to contribute to a digitally enabled NHS.
This event forms part of the West Midlands Health Tech Innovation Accelerator (WMHTIA) event series. Medilink Midlands are one of a consortium of delivery partners for the WMHTIA, a project funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Innovate UK and West Midlands Combined Authority (part of City Regions).
Speaker Profile
Ben Roberts is the Innovation Adviser at Medilink Midlands
Ben joined Medilink in 2022 as an Innovation Adviser in the West Midlands, after graduating with a PhD in Biomedical Research at the University of Warwick. Ben is utilising his knowledge currently in delivering activity under the West Midlands AHSN industry gateway. With a particular focus on sustainability, he aims to support SMEs in the health and life science sector on their journey to Net Zero.
Kat Hancock is Business Development Manager at Cogniss, a leading no-code platform for digital health.
She combines frontline NHS mental health experience with commercial expertise in scaling digital health innovations.
Kat began her career working directly with patients in acute and community mental health services, including the UK’s only community service for deaf people, where she became fluent in British Sign Language. During this time, she saw first-hand the multiplier effect of technology in increasing capacity, efficiency, and impact. Building on this insight, she went on to drive commercial growth for pioneering health-tech companies including DrDoctor, IntelliCentrics, and Epro, opening new markets and forging strategic partnerships with NHS Trusts and health systems.
At Cogniss, Kat champions human-centred digital innovation that empowers clinicians, supports emotional wellbeing, and makes healthcare more accessible, personalised, and effective.
Dr. Mamunur Rashid is an Assistant Professor of Machine Learning at the University of Birmingham
His research focuses on addressing health inequalities through the responsible application of AI. He leads the HealthTech AI Hub at University of Birmingham, a vibrant co-creation ecosystem designed to foster collaboration between academia and industry. The AI Hub supports digital health innovators in developing scalable, ethical, and impactful AI-driven solutions through expert guidance, interdisciplinary partnerships, and hands-on capacity building. By bridging technical expertise with real-world healthcare needs, Dr. Rashid’s work aims to reduce access disparities and drive equitable innovation across the healthtech landscape.