THE RAPID growth of healthcare innovation over the past year has driven transformative changes within the NHS and other government agencies. At the forefront of this movement is Global Innovation and New Technology (GIANT) Health, the UK’s largest community of over 345,000 NHS leaders, clinicians, and health-tech innovators. In December last year, experts came together to discuss and champion the latest innovations in healthcare.
This year, the event showcased six distinct ‘shows within the festival’, providing a platform for world-class speakers, cutting-edge start-ups, and immersive presentations. With a unified vision to drive innovation within the NHS and support health-tech entrepreneurs, attendees and speakers came together to explore solutions that are shaping the future of healthcare.
Beginning on 9th December, the ‘National ICS Innovation Congress’ offered an opportunity for networking with, and learning from, leaders of the UK’s new integrated care boards: experts who are leading the dramatic and profound changes across the NHS. The conference addressed how to bring innovation to life for a smarter, integrated NHS system, and strategies to ensure digital solutions deliver long-term benefits in healthcare. Additionally, panel discussions examined how community-centred technology could improve disease management and ease the strain on secondary care.
The ‘Future Hospital Show’ brought together healthcare leaders, clinicians, administrators, and innovators to explore the transformative shift from analogue to digital healthcare. The event emphasised the transition of care from hospitals into the community, also termed ‘hospital to HOUSEpital’, and the urgent need to redefine healthcare, particularly in reducing outpatient waiting times and administrative tasks, with workshops such as ‘Empowering NHS Doctors: Harnessing AI and Digital Tools for Enhanced Healthcare’. Additionally, experts behind the NHS App came together to highlight both its potential for reshaping patient engagement and secondary care, and its current limitations.
The ‘Innovation, Investment and Impact Show’ gave promising health-tech startups and investors the opportunity to connect, explore industry trends, and learn how to navigate the investment landscape within healthcare. The event reinforced the importance of collaboration in driving forward healthcare innovations and ensuring their successful transition into impactful solutions.
On 10th December, ‘The Women’s Health Technology Show’ was an empowering and thought-provoking event led by experts and innovators in new technologies and strategies to improve detection, diagnosis, and management of women’s health conditions. A key theme was the use of Women’s Health Hubs and AI to address disparities in healthcare, as well as the unique health challenges faced by women.
The transformative role of AI in healthcare was explored in greater detail during ‘The NHS National AI Conference’, in which leaders and stakeholders from integrated care systems, integrated care boards, and senior NHS officials discussed the practical applications of AI in real-world settings. The event not only celebrated the advances in AI but also addressed the challenges and ethical considerations. For example, the panel discussion ‘The Human Equation vs. the Algorithm: Shaping a Future of Care in the Smart Hospital’ examined the evolution of the smart hospital, and the careful balance between human decision-making and machine learning algorithms.
The exciting and inspiring GIANT Health Event 2024 culminated with the ‘Champions of Innovation Conference’, a dynamic event that showcased groundbreaking technologies and strategies to revolutionise healthcare.
Throughout the 2-day event, speakers and attendees engaged in keynotes, panel discussions, and networking opportunities that emphasised the importance of collaboration in developing innovations within the NHS to ensure a more resilient, efficient, and patient-focused healthcare system.
