DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY
Above: Figure 8. The leaders of DT strategy.
Above right: Figure 9. The benefits of DT.
Leadership of digital transformation strategy
Nick Hill
Dr. Nick Hill BSc, MSc, MBA(Oxon), PhD, DIC, CBiol, FRSB, FIHEEM, is a Fellow of IHEEM, and has extensive experience in water treatment and quality. He has worked in various capacities – including research, consulting, and advising on water systems in buildings, particularly focusing on Legionella and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. He assists clients with design, installation, and troubleshooting of water systems. Nick also serves as a consultant and expert witness for Water Quality London, and has contributed to NHS Estates and Department of Health guidelines on safe water in healthcare premises. He has maintained an interest in data management throughout his career.
In terms of leadership of their DT strategy, a majority of those surveyed believe that external consultants will lead, with only two out of 10 expecting internal leadership. When the benefits of a DT strategy were considered, the respondents continued to be positive, with a majority expressing the belief that there will better outcomes for healthcare, and less disruption of healthcare delivery. With AI, it will be possible to prove the impact that the built environment is having on patient outcomes. Those surveyed were most convinced that there would be genuinely risk-based PPM, continuous permanent improvement, and a solution to the backlog versus funding controversy. The Boards of healthcare organisations should take account of the groundswell of support – at least from Estates Departments – for the development and implementation of a DT strategy.
Where do we go from here? I note that Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, tells us that the UK can double its productivity within five years using AI.13
It
seems unlikely that an overnight AI solution to all our hopes or fears is going to be helicoptered in by NHS England or some other such body. However, the time is right for the adoption of a DT strategy to address specific business objectives. In order for the workforce to be ready, there is a need for digital literacy to significantly improve (where digital literacy is defined as ‘those capabilities that fit someone for living, learning, working, participating, and thriving in, a digital society’). There are some really simple shifts in approach that will smooth the transition to a data- driven world. What data to we need to collect? How are we going to analyse them? How are we going to ensure that data are clean and in a non-dead format? How can we use procurement to specify the data and their format when buying all goods and services? What data are we willing to share, and what data would we like others to share with us? If we can answer questions such as these, we can avoid a piecemeal, chaotic journey to DT. How many of your disappointments (e.g. contractor/product performance, poor procurement, building handover) could have been avoided if we had powerful data management?
Footnote n The IHEEM SEMAP (Strategic Estates Management Advisory Platform) is forming a group concerned with
38 Health Estate Journal March 2025
Digital Transformation. I have been asked to chair the group, which is in the process of seeking members and determining its objectives. I would welcome your thoughts via email to
office@iheem.org.uk
References 1 Wikipedia Contributors. Digital transformation [Internet]. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation; 2019. Available from:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_transformation
2 Fewer than half of parents think Reception pupils should know how to use books [Internet]. The Mail. 30 January 2025 [cited 2025 Feb 2]. PA News.
https://tinyurl.com/3cpm6ryh
3 Syal R. Abandoned NHS IT system has cost £10 bn so far [Internet]. The Guardian. 18 September 2013. https://tinyurl. com/yc6b85dm
4 Hill N. ‘Making the most of data for the benefit of public health’, presented at ‘Back to Basics and Forward to the Future’ conference, Water Management Society, 2018.
5 Gallagher Y. Six reasons why digital transformation is still a problem for government – National Audit Office (NAO) insight [Internet]. National Audit Office (NAO). 4 August 2021.
https://tinyurl.com/45mj49rb
6 Murray C. The five stages of digital maturity: How does your organisation rank? [Internet].
businesschief.com. 19 May 2020.
https://tinyurl.com/8am4phrr
7 Gawdat M. Scary Smart. Pan Macmillan, 8 December 2022. 8 Smith R. Expected Goals: The story of how data conquered football and changed the game forever. HarperCollins UK, 2022.
9
GOV.UK. Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the Protection of Natural Persons with Regard to the Processing of Personal Data and on the Free Movement of Such data, and Repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation) (Text with EEA relevance) [Internet].
Legislation.gov. uk. 2016.
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2016/679/ contents
10 Data Protection Act 2018 [Internet].
Legislation.gov.uk. 2018.
https://tinyurl.com/2kd9yrj6
11 Adams D. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. London: Arthur Barker; 1979.
12 Cuthbertson A. Quantum computers to overtake regular computers ‘within two years’ after breakthrough [Internet]. The Independent. 22 June 2023.
https://tinyurl.com/yjxbju6k
13 Cecil N. Keir Starmer gives full backing to Rachel Reeves as he claims AI can double UK productivity in a few years [Internet]. The Standard. 13 January 2025. https://tinyurl. com/5n9ajekk
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