Navigating NHS Change After the Autumn Budget 2025: Insights for the HETT Leaders’ Summit

As the Head of Research & Content at HETT, I spend a lot of time speaking with NHS leaders, digital teams, clinicians and innovators, the people who are feeling the system’s pressures most directly. And as we’ve been shaping the agenda for the HETT Leaders’ Summit on the 12th of February 2026 in Leeds, last week’s Autumn Budget has landed at a moment when the NHS is in the middle of significant, often difficult change.   

It’s no secret that the sector is under strain. Teams are navigating workforce shortages, rising demand, service redesign, and the realities of delivering care while simultaneously transforming it. None of this is easy. But what the Budget did provide was a signal, an acknowledgement that digital and data-enabled care are essential to the NHS’s future, and that investment must go hand in hand with that transformation. 

What the Budget Actually Gave Us 

The Government confirmed £300 million for NHS technology, part of a wider £10 billion digital and transformation investment through to 2028–29. There’s renewed support for the NHS App as the digital front door, further steps toward a single patient record, and the introduction of 250 Neighbourhood Health Centres designed to shift more care into communities. Along with this, a target of 2% annual productivity growth underscores the push for smarter, more connected ways of working. 

How This Shapes, and Strengthens Our Summit Agenda 

The themes driving the HETT Leaders’ Summit mirror the priorities now set nationally. But they also reflect the reality of what NHS teams are dealing with on the ground right now. 

• Digital & Data Infrastructure: The foundations we build today will determine whether transformation is sustainable tomorrow. This is where practical, honest dialogue is essential. 
• AI & Emerging Tech: As systems modernise, AI is moving from concept to tool but only if we deploy it safely, ethically and with staff empowerment at the centre. 
• Leadership, Culture & Productivity: Change fatigue is real. Leaders need support, space to reflect and the chance to learn from one another. 
• Integrated Care & Prevention: The move toward neighbourhood-based, community-first models is a huge cultural and operational shift, and digital must sit at the heart of making it workable. 

Why This Moment Matters  

The NHS is going through a period of transition that is both challenging and defining. Many teams are tired. Many are stretched. And yet, whether I’m speaking with CIOs, clinicians, analysts or digital leads, I keep hearing the same thing: we can’t do this alone. 

The Budget provides renewed energy, but energy only becomes progress when people come together, share openly, and align around what truly works. 

That’s exactly what the HETT Leaders’ Summit is designed to support: a space to come together at a time when collaboration isn’t just helpful, it’s essential. 

Looking Ahead to Leeds 

As we have developed this year’s programme, the current realities facing the NHS have shaped every conversation. We know this isn’t a simple moment for the system. We know that transformation is happening alongside day-to-day pressures. And we know that people need both practical support and a sense of community. 

On the 12th of February, we’ll bring together leaders, teams and partners who are driving this work. Not to paint an overly rosy picture, but to be honest, constructive and hopeful about what comes next. 

I’m looking forward to seeing you there, hearing your experiences and learning from the work you’re doing. Because in a year like this, coming together feels more important than ever. 

Don't miss the HETT Leaders' Summit, taking place on 12th February at Royal Armouries, Leeds.