This week I told the people I work with that I’m leaving my current team (Personalised Prevention Services) and joining the new team focusing on how prevention services will be coordinated in the NHS app.
I’ve known for a few weeks, and it’s been hard not to talk about it. It’s the reason I’ve written fewer week notes lately. Working in the open is sometimes harder.
I’m excited for the new thing.
It’s a continuation of the work we’ve done this last year, but the immediate focus on what happens with the NHS app will be the biggest difference to our approach. Personalised Prevention Services is about proving we can transform how prevention works. The new cross‑prevention work supports that future but focuses on what we do in the NHS app now.
Leaving Personalised Prevention Services has been playing heavily on my mind. The development of the team and work is something I’m proud of. The design team I’ve been part of and had the privilege of helping shape is a seriously talented group of humans.
I’ve also found an incredible collaborator who I’m sad I’ll no longer be working closely with. Throughout my career I’ve found that I do my best work with an ally. Someone to bounce ideas off and play with. Having a close working relationship with people is the best thing about day‑to‑day work. In chronological order – Frankie, Roz, Tingting, Sarah, Ed, Rory, Ed again..., Hebe, Rowena and this year Irina have all made working fun – collaborators who make me far better than I am by myself.
Irina has been an exceptional collaborator. The person I’ve gained the most from working with – a partnership where we trust each other and turn each other’s half‑thoughts into tangible outcomes because we get where the other one is coming from and build and spark off each other.
I’m sad it’s coming to an end.
I don’t start working on the new team until January, but I’ve had a few conversations about the new work this week. There are a lot of unknowns. I’m thinking about what we’ll do first. Should we start by combining the data we have for a person – on vaccines, screening, health assessments and behaviour change support – and present it in the app? Or should we start with a specific journey? I spent some time researching and mapping the touchpoints from risk identification to management and escalation for type 2 diabetes. There’s opportunity there.
AI and public good
We had an excellent talk this week from Dr Jessica Morley about AI and healthcare for public good. It was packed with ideas and challenging truths. Simultaneously pragmatic and inspiring. I need to go back and watch her talk again. Everything she said resonated, but one thing stands out – we’re moving to data‑first diagnosis. With the work we’re doing – we are no longer diagnosing a patient’s body, we’re diagnosing their record. It’s a startling truth – one of those moments when someone says out loud the thing you hadn’t realised you’d assumed.