Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professions (NMAHP) Digital Innovation Festival

Dr Cristina Vasilica, Associate Professor (Reader) Digital Health and Head of Digital Education at the University of Salford shares her insights into the recently held Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professions (NMAHP) Digital Innovation Festival.

The 3rd Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professions (NMAHP) Digital Innovation Festival at the University of Salford, in partnership with Future Nurse, marked another milestone in empowering NMAHP communities to lead digital change, shape more connected care, and celebrate their successes.

Launched in 2024 as part of our digital health education vision to strengthen collaboration between industry, community, practice, and academia, the festival continues to provide a vibrant platform for deep connections and shared learning.

The 2026 edition brought together a diverse and dynamic community of researchers, educators, industry partners, service users, carers, and students, reflecting the ecosystem needed to design and deliver impactful digital solutions.

The festival showcased how locally grounded ideas, supported by partnerships and lived experience, are shaping more inclusive care and discussed key NMAHP digital priorities.

We were honoured to welcome inspiring keynote speakers, including James Freed, Deputy Director of the NHS Digital Academy, Helen Balsdon, Chief Nursing information Officer at NHS England, and Prabha Vijayakumar, National Chief AHP Information Officer whose contributions reinforced the importance of collaboration, capability and digital maturity in transforming services.

A particularly powerful aspect of the festival was the involvement of service users and carers: Andrew, Issy, and Claire from the Kidney Information Network, who reminded us that digital innovation must always remain rooted in what matters most: improving patient experience and outcomes through genuine co-production with patients and carers.

The festival also provided a moment to reflect and honour the legacy of Professor Paula Ormandy, whose influence on digital transformation and commitment to amplifying the patient voice continues to shape this community. Her work serves as a lasting reminder of the critical role that collective voices play in shaping the future of care.

Dr Cristina Vasilica, Reader in Digital Health and Head of Digital Education for the School of Health and Society, said: “The festival felt like a meeting of ‘friends’, where we celebrated both our big and small wins and showcased just how strong and fast-growing our digital NMAHP community is across Greater Manchester and the Northwest. Thank you to everyone who contributed, supported, and helped make it such a meaningful event. We now hope to build on this momentum to grow an even stronger North West community voice.”

The festival demonstrated the strength, momentum, and ambition of the NMAHP digital community across the North West, showcasing how collaboration, innovation, and shared purpose are helping grow ideas into meaningful improvements in care. 

James Freed also took the opportunity to join the podcast conversation with Natasha Phillips, Founder of FutureNURSE and you can listen to the podcast on our FutureNHS podcast page.