Second NHS chief executive confirmed for Summer Schools 2025

The chief executive of one of the country’s largest NHS trusts will open Digital Health Summer Schools 2025 with a keynote packed with insights into successfully delivering major digital implementations.  

Jonathan Brotherton, chief executive of University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, will be joined by senior clinicians as they share lessons learned from scaling the trust’s homegrown electronic patient record (EPR) system, detailing their approach, methodology and the benefits realised. 

If you are looking for inspiration in how to undertake huge digital projects, then register now to hear from Brotherton and his executive team Colonel Mark Foster, chief clinical information officer (CCIO) and Professor Tanya Pankhurst, former CCIO and now deputy chief medical officer for governance.

Brotherton joined the NHS in 1992 as a trainee paramedic in Worcestershire, working clinically for 12 years, before moving into management full time.

He has worked in senior leadership roles in a number of acute hospital trusts, regional ambulance services and the National Intensive Support Team and joined Heart of England Foundation Trust in September 2014, as director of operations before being appointed to the board of directors in March 2015.

In April 2018, he became the chief operating officer (COO) for Good Hope, Heartlands and Solihull hospitals and in April 2019 was appointed COO for the whole trust with responsibility for the running of its four hospitals, Birmingham Chest Clinic, Solihull Community Services and a number of ‘satellite’ units.

In addition to holding the COO role, Brotherton was appointed as deputy chief executive in February 2022, and became interim chief executive in January 2023 and chief executive in July 2023. 

Brotherton is the second NHS chief executive to be announced in recent weeks with Professor Andy Hardy, of University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust due to share his experiences of leading digital transformation just weeks after the go-live of the trust’s new EPR. 

Other confirmed speakers include: 

• Ming Tang, chief digital and information officer, NHS England  

• Helen Balsdon, national chief nursing information officer (CNIO), NHSE 

• David Walliker, chief digital information officer (CDIO), Manchester University NHS FT   

• Haley Grafton, CNIO, University Hospitals Leicester NHS Trust  

• Dr Joe Zhang, Head of Data Science, London Centre for AI and Secure Data Environment  

Join senior NHS IT leaders for the two-day residential Summer Schools taking place on 17-18 July 2025 at the University of Warwick.

The event features CCIO, chief information officer and CNIO leadership breakout sessions; topic workshops spanning AI ethics, clinical safety, benefits realisation; and NHS digital leadership case studies.  

The event is supported by Networks sponsors Alcidion, AWS, Altera, Bridgehead, CereCore, Dell Technologies + AMD, Imprivata, Intersystems, Microsoft and Salesforce.  

Spaces are limited. Prices start from £385 +VAT. Secure your place today and register here.