Digital Health Awards Winners Are Announced

The winners of the 2026 Digital Health Awards have been revealed following a ceremony at Summer Schools 2026.

Leading the NHS digital transformation

Karl Grundy, managing director at Digital Health, presented the awards on 16 July 2026 at the University of Nottingham.

The event recognises innovation and excellence across the healthcare sector, highlighting the work of senior NHS IT leaders and upcoming trailblazers driving transformation.

CCIO of the Year – Dr Paul Atkinson

Dr Paul Atkinson took home the CCIO of the Year title.

He has held the chief clinical information officer (CCIO) role at NHS Gloucestershire since February 2015, serving part-time until June 2022 before taking the position full-time alongside his role as director of the digital team at Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board (ICB).

He is also a founding fellow of the Faculty of Clinical Informatics and clinical advisor to Tata Consultancy Services.

Between 2017 and 2018, he served as clinical advisor at NHS Digital, providing clinical output to the GP IT Futures programme.

During the period from 2016 to 2020, Dr Atkinson acted as a digital clinical champion at NHSX, assisting the team in promoting initiatives like ‘digital primary care’ and ‘patient online’.

CIO and CDIO honours

Loke received the award for her work as executive chief digital information officer (CDIO) at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust.

She previously served as chief information officer and director of digital at the trust from May 2020 until July 2024, before moving into the CDIO role.

She recently left the trust to join DHU Healthcare as chief digital officer, where she now focuses on NHS 111, urgent treatment centres, and supporting the continued shift towards prevention, early intervention and delivering care closer to home.

For the past three years, Loke has been a member of the Digital Health Networks CIO Advisory Panel.

Chief Nursing Information Officer

Hayley Grafton claimed the CNIO of the Year award for her work as chief nursing information officer (CNIO) at University Hospitals Leicester NHS Trust (UHL).

She held this specific role from November 2023 until February 2026. She is now group CNIO at UHL and University Hospitals of Northamptonshire Group.

The CNIO of the Year was also a Digital Health Networks CNIO Advisory Panel member for four years from 2021 to 2025, before being elected as chair of the panel last year.

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AI Technical Lead

Tudor has been the AI technical lead at University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust for the past 12 months.

He leads the end-to-end technical delivery of AI projects at the trust, covering problem scoping, data access and quality checks, model development, validation, deployment, and ongoing monitoring in live clinical settings.

He also helps shape the trust’s AI strategy, prioritising use-cases and advising on build-versus-buy decisions.

It is rare for a single organization to produce multiple award winners in a single year, yet this trust has achieved that feat.

Looking at the track record of these winners, it becomes clear that the NHS is moving away from isolated digital pilots and toward sustained, enterprise-wide integration of technology into clinical workflows.

The consistent presence of advisory panel memberships across these individuals suggests a network of influence that extends beyond individual trusts, potentially shaping broader national standards for digital care delivery.

By recognising specific roles like the CDIO and the AI technical lead, the awards highlight a sector that is increasingly complex, requiring specialized expertise to manage the intersection of clinical needs and technical infrastructure.