Ben Goldacre and Gillian Leng to keynote at Rewired 2026

Professor Ben Goldacre and Professor Gillian Leng have been announced as keynote speakers at Digital Health Rewired 2026.

They will present at the UK’s largest trade show connecting the health IT sector and digital health community, which will take place at the NEC in Birmingham on 24-25 March 2026.

Renowned doctor, academic, and science writer Goldacre, who led a national review on using health data for research and analysis in 2021, directs the Bennett Institute’s work on academic research and live data tools. 

This includes OpenSAFELY, a large-scale platform for analysing NHS data which this year won £17 million funding to expand its secure data infrastructure and study NHS talking therapies outcomes.

Leng, president of the Royal Society of Medicine, will draw on her extensive international expertise in evidence-based medicine, clinical guidelines and public health to examine how the NHS can best integrate digital technologies into patient-centric care.

As former chief executive of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Leng spearheaded the creation of frameworks that embedded digital tools and real-world data into frontline care. 

Today, she continues to shape what digital integration means for patients and clinicians alike as a non-executive director at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and in her role at the Royal Society of Medicine.

Other speakers confirmed for Rewired 2026 include Dr Charlotte Refsum, director of health policy at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change; Jonathan Brotherton, chief executive at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust; and Rachel Power, chief executive at The Patients Association.

Dr Jennifer Dixon, chief executive of the Health Foundation, and Hutan Ashrafian, chief medical officer at Harbinger Health will also be part of the speaker line-up.

Rewired 2026 headline sponsors are The Access Group and Optum, who also sponsor the Integrated Care and Digital Transformation stages respectively.

In 2026 the event will expand its focus on AI and data with twin stages exploring all aspects of their use across health and care.

Book your place now to attend Rewired26. Free for NHS, public sector, charities, research and education. Commercial tickets start from £769+VAT.