Key Takeaways from HETT NHS Insights Day: What Suppliers Need to Know
In a rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, innovation alone isn’t enough — it must be meaningful, practical, and embedded in real NHS priorities. That’s where the HETT Show steps in. More than just an event, it’s a space where suppliers, clinicians, system leaders, and policymakers come together to address the most pressing challenges in health and care delivery.
On 17 August, HETT brought together healthcare technology leaders from across the NHS and private sector for the inaugural HETT NHS Insights Day. Throughout the afternoon, senior NHS voices offered suppliers an unfiltered look at what is working and what is not in digital transformation. Whether you are a startup navigating NHS procurement or an established supplier seeking greater impact, these insights are essential. Here is what you need to know.
How can innovation and digital transformation genuinely support the NHS, and what should suppliers be doing differently to enable that change?
The session, part of the 10-year vision conversation, was a refreshingly honest look at the challenges and opportunities facing the system right now. From neighbourhood care models to digital tools, workforce burnout to prevention strategies, here are some of the key themes that stood out.
A Love Letter to Innovation – But Where’s the Delivery Plan?
The 10-Year Plan was described as a “love letter to innovation” – a bold vision packed with promise. But like any love letter, it’s only meaningful if it leads to real action.
There’s a sense this isn’t a revolution, but more an evolution, building on decades of work. The big shift? A move away from hospital-centric care to something more joined-up, more data-informed, and more community-based. Virtual wards, digital front doors, and AI-powered insights were all seen as part of this transformation, but only if the system can fix how it adopts and implements new tools.
Breaking Down Silos with Neighbourhood Teams
Neighbourhood teams aren’t a new idea but scaling them is still a huge challenge. The issue isn’t just structure, it’s mindset. Right now, many specialist teams still work in silos, with little shared governance or joined-up thinking. To truly transform care, we need to treat patients as whole people, not bundles of conditions or appointments.
The panel was clear: the community holds a lot of the NHS’s future. We need to rethink what only hospitals should do and design services that reflect real-life needs, not organisational boundaries. That means reimagining care around neighbourhoods, backed by proper data and analytics.
The Promise and Pitfalls of AI and Data
There’s no shortage of enthusiasm for AI and data, from ambient voice tech to predictive analytics. But while the technology is ready, the system often isn’t.
The real challenge isn’t collecting data, it’s using it well. Aggregating for the sake of it is expensive and ineffective. The key is actionable insight: combining data across health, social care, local authorities, even the police, to improve outcomes. Few places have perfect data, but that’s not the point. It’s about building the capacity to understand what you do have and use it wisely.
Financial Reform: Suppliers Need to Think Differently
One major theme was money – or rather, the lack of it. Despite the excitement around Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) and ICBs, many suppliers still find it confusing to navigate who holds the budget and makes the decisions.
The message? Suppliers need to get agile. Understand the new models, like super-neighbourhood contracts – and be ready for more localised, diverse buyers. National frameworks are evolving, but day-to-day buying still happens on the ground.
And crucially, value-based commissioning is coming. If your product or service can’t show clear outcomes, cost savings, or improved efficiency, it’s going to be a tough sell.
It’s Not Just the Tech – It’s What Happens After
Too many good innovations fail because implementation is poor.
Suppliers need to invest more in post-sale support. That means helping NHS teams implement and optimise your tech, not just installing it and walking away. It also means working with NHS organisations that are often overstretched and under-trained in digital transformation and being realistic about what it takes to make change stick.
Procurement models also need to shift. If post-implementation support is cut out to save costs, the system ends up wasting time and money. There’s growing support for models like the Innovator Passport, which could make it easier for new tech to prove its worth – but this needs careful design and clear expectations.
Prevention and Health Equity: Stop Talking, Start Doing
Prevention is notoriously hard to measure, the benefits often take years to show up. But that’s exactly why we need to stay committed. Tackling issues like children’s mental health, social care gaps, and chronic conditions will be key to making the NHS sustainable.
There was also a call to embrace the consumer side of health. Wearables, employer health schemes, and self-monitoring tools could play a much bigger role – if the system starts to encourage it.
And across everything? Health equity needs to be baked in from day one. Not as an afterthought.
Final Takeaways – Advice from the Panel
Each speaker gave a 30-second closing thought:
Connect with Health Innovation Networks (HINs) – they can help bridge the gap between your tech and NHS priorities.
Work with primary care – they are the NHS’s front door and need to be involved from the start.
Use data wisely – not just for insights, but for smarter infrastructure planning too.
Design for equity – build products and services that work for everyone.
And most importantly: collaborate – suppliers shouldn’t compete to the point of isolation. There’s room for partnerships and shared success.
Final Thoughts
This panel made one thing crystal clear: digital transformation isn’t just about building tech. It’s about building relationships, trust, and systems that actually work.
If you’re a supplier, now’s the time to listen, adapt, and embed yourself in the real challenges the NHS is facing. Because the future of healthcare isn’t just digital – it’s collaborative, data-informed, and patient-first.
The HETT NHS Insights Day made one message clear: suppliers must move beyond pitching solutions to becoming active partners in system change. The NHS doesn’t just need technology - it needs tools that are co-designed, outcomes-focused, and grounded in the lived realities of care delivery.
Whether it’s aligning with Health Innovation Networks, supporting overstretched staff, or designing for prevention and equity, the opportunities for suppliers are significant.
As the HETT Show continues to champion collaborative innovation, now is the time for suppliers to engage differently. The future of NHS transformation depends not just on tech but on the partnerships that power it.