This session explores the realities of AI for both the public and staff. Julia Gudgeon, NHS England, will explore high automation and what AI really means for nursing and midwifery. Julia Manning, RSM, examines the wider health ecosystems for intelligent AI development and retaining professional and patient trust in deployment. Nell Thornton, The Health Foundation will present the findings from its survey of over 8,000 NHS staff and members of the public, investigating attitudes towards health technology and data use. Yesmin Begum, NIHCR, will explore the vital importance of patient and public Involvement in healthcare innovation.
Julia Gudgeon
Chief midwifery information officer (CMidIO), NHS England
With over 30 years of midwifery experience, Jules Gudgeon is a key player in advancing digital technology in maternity care, post the 2015 National Maternity Review by Baroness Cumberlege. Leading roles in the NHS Digital Maternity Programme and the creation of the award-winning Digital Midwives Expert Reference Group, now the Digital Maternity Leaders community, showcases her commitment to collaborative efforts in the digital maternity landscape.
As the National Chief Midwifery Information Officer at NHS England, she was a 2023 HSJ Clinical Leader of the Year Award finalist. In 2024, Jules persists in advocating for digital leadership and addressing the maternity digital divide with #FixTheDigitalDivide #DigitalMaternity.
Prof Julia Manning
President of Digital Health Council, Royal Society of Medicine
Nell Thornton
Improvement fellow, The Health Foundation
Nell is an Improvement Fellow at the Health Foundation where she leads major research projects on the use of new technologies and data analytics to improve healthcare, specialising in artificial intelligence.
Nell has worked in health care for over a decade. She was previously the Senior Delivery and Business Manager for the Leeds Academic Health Partnership where she managed programmes across tech innovation and health data in collaboration with NHS providers and commissioners, universities, the local authority, and health innovation network.
Nell received a distinction in her MA Social Research from the University of Leeds where she focussed on the construction of policy narratives regarding the use of artificial intelligence in the health service.
Yesmin Begum
NHS ELFT public governor, National Institute for Health and Care Research, Patient and Public Involvement (PPI)
Julia Gudgeon, Julia Manning, Nell Thornton, Yesmin Begum
