HETT 2025: Collaboration, connection and the people powering digital transformation

From AI to inclusion, HETT 2025 brought together innovators, NHS leaders, and industry partners to explore how technology and people are shaping the future of healthcare.

This year’s HETT returned to ExCeL London with renewed purpose.

Coming a few weeks after the release of the NHS 10-Year Plan, the event focused on turning ambition into action, and highlighted how the public and private sectors can work together to deliver digital transformation at scale.

“This conference has been uniquely timed,” said Dr Avi Mehra, Associate Partner and Clinical Safety Officer at IBM, and Co-Chair of HETT 2025.

“A lot of the conversations have focused on how we turn that ambition and vision into reality and what it takes to deliver it on the ground.”

Mehra’s message was clear: while technology enables progress, transformation depends on people.

“The challenge really comes around people, trust, culture, and leadership,” he said.

“Technology will be the enabler, but the focus has to be on people.”

Partnership in practice

Collaboration was the word on everyone’s lips. Dr Michael Watts, NHS clinician and CEO of Blüm Health Ltd, reflected:

“What the show has really demonstrated is that we’re keen to collaborate with public–private sector partnerships.

There’s a big emphasis on operational efficiency, on moving secondary care into the community, and a big focus on AI.”

For Blüm Health, the conference proved the value of these conversations.

“It’s been a fantastic blend of other small businesses like ours that are keen to join forces, tied into some great partnerships with big players,” Watts said.

“We’ve had great conversations with NHS senior leadership about their initiatives and how we can align and support. The future looks bright.”

Blüm Health is currently building capabilities around AI as a medical device, an area once seen as high-risk and slow to market.

“We’re making that faster, we’re making it safer,” Watts added, “and we’re building solutions that will impact not only the NHS but healthcare internationally.”

Transformational relationships

A standout moment came from Sonia Patel, Chief Technology Officer at NHS England, during her session ‘In Conversation with the CTO of NHS England.’ Patel spoke powerfully about the need for “transformational relationships with industry,” highlighting how partnerships must be built on trust and shared purpose, rather than transactions.

This sentiment resonated across the exhibition floor. Alex Keoghan, Account Manager at Fortinet, said:

“It’s been a really positive atmosphere overall: very busy, with lots of key people here.

“For us, it’s about connecting with people we don’t always get to speak to day-to-day.”

For Keoghan, the chance to meet stakeholders face-to-face is invaluable:

“We have a huge footprint across the NHS, but being here helps us understand the challenges people face on the ground and helps them see what we do and how we do it.”

Championing diversity and digital inclusion

Among the standout initiatives was the Shuri Network, the pioneering NHS network for women of colour in digital health.

Lisa Salmon, a midwife and Shuri Fellow, said the event offered the perfect platform to connect and grow:

“It’s a great space to network and let people know what we’re doing.

“The Shuri Network’s mission is to bring women of colour into the digital domain — offering peer support and career progression.”

Interest in Shuri was strong throughout the event.

“People want to know what Shuri is about and how they can join,” Salmon said.

“It’s opened my eyes to digital health and how I can move forward in my career.”

Looking ahead, she added,

“It’s about inclusion, diversity, and welcoming us into the digital space.

“People can join, take part in talks and presentations, and help make the NHS a more inclusive digital community.”

Creating spaces for people

While technology and policy sessions drew packed theatres, HETT 2025 also highlighted the human side of innovation.

Jimmy Endicott, Co-Founder of the Ministry of Health Tech, said:

“We’ve had a great time working with HETT – it’s a really well-run event. The team has been brilliant.”

Endicott’s organisation partnered with the conference to host a live podcast studio, adding a dynamic layer of engagement. But he also reflected on the future of events themselves:

“Networking is important to all of us, and I think conferences like this can go further in supporting attendees — for example, providing comfortable spaces for parents and babies.

“It’s easy to do and makes a real difference.”

Innovation, energy, and optimism

That sense of energy was felt throughout the venue. Louise Wall, Managing Director of E18 Innovation, noted:

“It’s been a really good event – great footfall, along with great conversations with clients and prospects. People are genuinely engaging with automation and AI as a way to relieve workforce pressure and increase capacity across the NHS.”

Fresh from E18’s acquisition by Digital Workforce, Wall said the partnership was “creating a powerhouse to scale automation across the NHS.”

Across the show floor, the theme was clear: collaboration and connection are driving innovation faster than ever.

Looking ahead

As HETT 2025 drew to a close, the mood was one of optimism and shared responsibility.

The digital-health community left with a clear sense that transformation isn’t just about apps, data, or devices; it’s about people and purpose.

“We are figuring it out together,” said Mehra.

“Digital is at the heart of transformation – but it’s about people, trust, and leadership. That’s where the real change will come from.”

HETT 2025 showed that when innovators, clinicians, and leaders come together face-to-face, the future of healthcare feels not just possible, but personal.