Digital Health’s 2025 Review: Top 5 podcasts

It was another great year for the Digital Health Unplugged podcast as a host of new and returning guests from across the sector shared their expert insights on healthcare innovation, technology and policy.

Unplugged was joined by guests discussing subjects ranging from technical legacy debt risking the safety of patients to the dangers of generative AI for clinicians.

The podcast also welcomed speakers who delved into electronic patient record (EPR) procurement and optimisation and the future of mental health technology.

Looking back at the podcast in 2025, Digital Health News has selected the top five episodes that received the most downloads and overall engagement. Here’s what made the list:

5. How ‘legacy debt’ is risking patient safety

At number five is an episode which saw two Digital Health Networks Clinical Safety Officer (CSO) Council members delve into how technical  ‘legacy debt’ in the NHS is risking patient safety and the important role that CSOs play.

The CSO Council issued an advisory statement for NHS trusts and integrated care boards about the potential consequences of not completing tasks such as hazard logging and safety case reporting for software.

Reynolds and Mullen discuss what the issues could mean for patient safety and what trusts need to do to help tackle the problem.

They also highlight the role of CSOs and why there need to be more across the NHS, before leaving listeners with their final key takeaways for healthcare leaders.

The podcast follows a story from Digital Health News on the Digital Health Networks CSO Council’s  advisory statement.

Guests:

Kaye Reynolds, lead digital CSO at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn NHS Foundation Trust

Sascha Mullen, chief nursing information officer and CSO at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust

4. Rethinking EPR procurement and optimisation

This episode saw returning guest Mark Hutchinson, vice-president of healthcare strategy and transformation at Altera Digital Health, discuss EPR procurement, optimisation and delivering tangible benefits.

He shares his unique perspective, shaped by his time working within the NHS and leading on EPR deployments at several large NHS trusts, on how organisations can take a smarter, more sustainable route to digital maturity.

He also talks about how trusts can rethink procurement strategies to better align with their digital transformation goals and reveals what he believes are the most exciting opportunities for innovation in healthcare technology over the next five to ten years.

Guest:

Mark Hutchinson, vice-president of healthcare strategy and transformation at Altera Digital Health

3. Exploring the risks of GenAI for clinicians

The third most listened episode of the year saw Euan McComiskie and Eddie Olla discuss the use of generative AI in healthcare and what the key risks of the technology are for clinicians and patients.

Olla joins in on the discussion, highlighting some key risks, such as hallucinations and bias in AI algorithms.

The pair discuss how we can balance excitement for AI with caution and what medical schools’ approach to using AI should be, before rounding off by predicting what will happen in the coming months and years with regards to AI in healthcare.

Guests:

Euan McComiskie, physiotherapist, health informatics lead at The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and member of Digital Health Networks CNIO Advisory Panel

Eddie Olla, chief digital information officer at NHS Coventry and Warwickshire ICB

2. Optum’s acquisition of EMIS

At number two is an episode in partnership with Optum which delves into the firm’s acquisition of EMIS and what it means for the NHS and health technology sector.

Unplugged was joined by Dr Shaun O’Hanlon, group chief medical officer at Optum, to discuss why it was necessary for EMIS to become Optum and whether there is an element of risk in losing the EMIS name which has been well-known for several decades in the healthcare sector.

O’Hanlon talks about the future for the population health and vaccination programmes, which EMIS previously played a major role in, and whether Optum’s focus will remain on the UK or shift to operating globally.

He also outlines his vision for the future of primary health technology and what the key plans and goals are for the future for Optum. The company will also be a headline sponsor at Digital Health Rewired 2026.

Guest:

Dr Shaun O’Hanlon, group chief medical officer at Optum

1.  The future of mental health technology

Taking the crown as the most listened to Unplugged episode of 2025 is an interview with Holly Coole, senior manager for digital mental health at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

Coole chats to Tammy Lovell, editor at Digital Health about the three-year Digital Mental Health Project, which aims to improve outcomes for people with mental health conditions by ensuring that both medical professionals and the public have safe and effective access to digital mental health technologies (DMHTs).

They discuss how the project, led by the MHRA in partnership with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, aims to provide clarity around the key considerations for the regulation and valuation of DMHTs.

They also talk about the challenges of regulating this area and why it is so important to protect patient safety and ensure access to effective products for mental health.

Coole has since returned to the podcast, alongside Grace Gatera, a lived experience advisor from Rwanda with a global perspective on mental health access and the power of tech in underserved communities, in a follow-up episode around the importance of including the patient voice in the development of DMHTs.

Guest:

Holly Coole, senior manager for digital mental health at the MHRA

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You can also download the podcast from digitalhealth.podbean.com or through the Podbean app.

Got a podcast suggestion? Email podcast@digitalhealth.net