NED's Guide to HETT 2026

As a Non-Executive Director, I come to HETT with a different lens to most of the room. I'm not after all the cool technology (even though that makes me very excited!). I'm constantly thinking about whether the Board around me is asking the right questions about it. Good digital governance isn't about knowing how the AI model works; it's about knowing which risks to escalate, which assurances to demand, and which "we're on it" answers from an Executive team need probing further. So I've curated a fun itinerary for myself and my fellow NEDs and board members.

"National Platforms and Big Data: How Can the NHS Achieve a Connected and Equitable Digital Landscape?” - Tue 9:50am, Infrastructure, Data & Cyber Security

Full disclosure: I'm chairing this panel, so it's an easy pick to open with. But the question at its heart is how national platforms and local delivery pull against each other, and whether standards can genuinely stop a postcode lottery of digital capability. Every Trust Board is trying to work out how much to build locally versus wait for the centre and getting that judgement wrong either way costs money or costs pace. I'm looking forward to hearing how other systems are drawing that line.

"Who Owns Decisions Now? - How Will the Re-Structuring of the Centre Drive Local Autonomy and Commercial Opportunity?” -  Tue 11:20am, Integrated Care Forum

This is the session I'd tell anyone not to miss. The NHS Modernisation Bill is going to shift where accountability sits between ICBs, Trusts and the centre, and Boards need to understand that shift before it lands on their risk register, not after. This shift to Advanced Foundation Trusts and IHOs gives trusts a unique chance to be more commercially savvy in how they work with partners. I want to hear how other leaders think the autonomy-versus-consistency line should be drawn because right now, a lot of Boards are guessing.

"What Does Meaningful Modernisation Look Like: Legacy Infrastructure - How Do We Fix A Long-Term Challenge?” -  Tue 1:20pm, Infrastructure, Data & Cyber Security

Who owns infrastructure risk at Board and ICS level, and why isn't it treated like a patient safety issue? That's exactly the sort of challenge I want to be asking my own Executive team. Legacy IT risk has a habit of sitting quietly on the risk register as an operational issue long after it should have been escalated as a safety one. I want practical language I can take back into my organisation for reframing that conversation.

"Backing Up the Data Promise with Trust, Accountability & Action” -  Tue 3:00pm, Infrastructure, Data & Cyber Security

Patient trust in how their data is used isn't an IT question, it's a governance one and it's one the public increasingly holds organisations accountable for. I’m interested in how other systems are closing the gap between what they promise patients about data use and what actually happens once it's live, and where independent assurance fits into that.

"Open Forum: Ask the Regulators - Trust, Safety & Transformation, with NICE, CQC & MHRA” - Tue 3:30pm, Digital Maturity Forum

Direct, unscripted access to three regulators in one room doesn't come around often. As a NED, the questions I want answered aren't really about individual AI tools, they’re about what "good" assurance looks like at Board level, and where the regulatory expectations on us are actually heading over the next few years, not just this year's guidance.

"Clear Accountability and Risk Ownership to Accelerate Digital Success” - Wed 11:30am, Workforce, Adoption and Productivity

Is unclear ownership the real reason transformation fails at scale, and who's responsible when outcomes don't materialise? This is one I'd put in front of any Board considering a major digital investment. Too many transformation programmes have diffuse accountability by design, and that's precisely the sort of thing board members exist to catch before it becomes an inquiry finding.

"The NHS Needs Digital COOs - A Call to Action for NHS Leadership” - Wed 10:10am, Workforce, Adoption and Productivity

The argument here is that digital transformation isn't failing on infrastructure but on organisational execution, and that the missing role sits between the CIO and the COO. Whether or not I agree with the proposed fix, it's a useful challenge to the structures Boards have in place, and worth testing against your own leadership model.

"Inherited Risk: Maintaining Cyber Resilience During NHS Integration” - Wed 1:30pm, Infrastructure, Data & Cyber Security

With Trust mergers and ICS integration reshaping digital estates across the country, mine included, inherited legacy risk during integration is a live board issue, not a hypothetical one. I want to hear how other organisations are managing security and DSPT compliance through that transition without slowing the wider integration down.

"Innovation in the NHS - Are We Creating the Conditions for It to Thrive for Years to Come?” - Wed 2:00pm, Digital Maturity Forum

A good closing session for the two days: an honest look at the structural blockers, culture, funding cycles, procurement, leadership capability, regulation, that stop good pilots becoming business as usual. As a board member, that's the exact list of levers I can actually influence, so it's a useful one to leave the conference thinking about.

If you're a fellow NED or Board member coming to HETT this year, I look forward to hearing about your HETT experience and what you got out of it!