SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

Chief Information Officers from across the NHS in England have sent the CIO Live Insights Report to NHS England. Lee Rickles of Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust and CIO Live Chair Omer Moghraby submitted the document.

The report sets out digital leaders’ views on the pressures facing NHS technology teams and calls for clearer national leadership. It argues that digital work should be treated as central to improving care and that greater alignment is needed across the health service.

Its findings draw on discussions at the first national gathering of NHS Chief Information Officers. Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust said the work was produced in response to the NHS 10 Year Plan and is intended to provide a practical roadmap for strengthening digital delivery across the service.

Main themes include workforce capability, interoperability and reducing duplication between organisations. The report also makes the case for more consistent national design and stronger collaboration between trusts, regions and NHS England.

Rickles is Chief Information Officer at Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust and Deputy Chair of the CIO Live Organising Committee. His experience of digital change in a complex care setting helped shape the report’s focus on staff skills and system interoperability.

National focus

The submission comes as NHS organisations face continuing pressure to modernise data and technology while improving patient care and managing financial constraints. Digital leaders have also had to contend with uneven system adoption, varying local standards and the challenge of linking services across providers.

The report’s central message is that these issues require a more joined-up response from the top of the health system. It says digital leadership should be embedded at every level of national design rather than treated as a separate operational function.

CIO Live, the forum behind the document, brought together senior digital leaders from NHS trusts alongside national and regional NHS figures. Organisers described it as a space for frank discussion and joint problem-solving.

That approach appears to have shaped the report’s tone, which focuses on practical measures rather than broad statements of intent. It presents the concerns of local technology leaders as a collective view from across the service.

One aim is to improve consistency in how digital programmes are developed and delivered. Another is to strengthen neighbourhood-focused delivery, reflecting the wider NHS shift towards more integrated and locally responsive care.

Leadership call

Rickles outlined the purpose of the work in a statement accompanying the report.

“Publishing this report marks an important moment for the NHS digital community. It reflects the real challenges we face every day, but more importantly it sets out practical and collective solutions. The recommendations give us a clear mandate to strengthen collaboration, reduce duplication and ensure digital leadership is embedded at every level of national design. We are proud to have contributed to this work and will continue to champion the principles of shared learning, standardisation and neighbourhood‐focused digital delivery,” said Lee Rickles, Chief Information Officer, Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust.

The report has now been passed to national leaders for consideration. A three-month scoping phase is due to follow, with implementation planned for the third quarter of 2026.

This timetable suggests the document is intended to feed into formal planning rather than remain a discussion paper. It also points to a structured route from consultation to delivery.

For Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust, the submission places one of its senior executives at the centre of a national debate about how the NHS organises and governs digital change. For the wider service, the report adds to pressure for a more coherent approach to leadership, standards and delivery across England’s health system.

WorkJam has published research suggesting retailers are putting cost control ahead of employee experience, marking a broader shift in workforce strategy across the sector.

Its poll of more than 150 retail professionals found that 37% now prioritise cost control over employee retention and experience, while only 5% said employee experience remains the priority.

The findings reflect the strain on retailers as higher labour costs and wider operational pressures weigh on decision-making. Employers are adjusting staffing and pricing in response to changes including higher National Insurance contributions and increases to the National Minimum Wage.

Almost half of respondents, 44%, said they are reducing or slowing hiring. A further 29% said they are raising prices.

The research also suggests many retailers still rely on basic or outdated workforce systems. Some 31% said their organisation uses basic workforce management tools, while 26% still depend on manual or outdated processes or have no formal process at all.

This points to slow progress in digitising frontline operations at a time when businesses are under pressure to simplify processes and contain costs. It also comes as retailers face new compliance demands, with only 25% saying they are making changes in response to the Employment Rights Bill.

AI adoption

Use of artificial intelligence in workforce operations appears to be spreading, but deployment remains limited. While 74% of respondents said their organisation is using AI in workforce operations, only 13% said it has been deployed at scale.

Just 20% of retailers described their AI maturity for workforce optimisation as advanced or mature. More than half, 56%, said efficiency and productivity were the main reasons for investing in AI for workforce management, while only 15% cited improving employee experience.

The data suggests the sector is still in the early stages of applying AI to staffing, scheduling and related processes. It also indicates that retailers are treating the technology primarily as a cost and efficiency tool rather than a way to address retention or engagement.

Alongside this, 66% of respondents said workforce pressures are forcing their organisations to rethink operating models. That underlines how labour costs and staffing constraints are driving broader changes in store operations and management structures.

Mark Williams, Managing Director EMEA at WorkJam, said the retreat from employee experience could carry longer-term consequences for retailers already dealing with disruption on the shop floor.

He said: “This is one of the sharpest and most risky strategic reversals we have seen in the sector in recent years. The pressure retailers are facing is real, but deprioritising employee experience is a short-term reaction that will negatively compound over time. The challenge for retailers is finding ways to reduce costs and simplify operations without losing focus on frontline engagement. With the right platform strategy, retailers can consolidate their tech stack while also improving the employee experience.”

His comments reflect a wider debate in retail over whether employers can cut spending without worsening staff turnover, engagement and day-to-day execution in stores. Frontline teams remain central to customer service, stock handling and in-store compliance, making workforce decisions especially sensitive during periods of cost pressure.

Operational strain

The survey points to a gap between the pressures retailers say they face and the systems many have in place to manage them. Employers may be looking for savings, but the results suggest many are doing so with fragmented tools and limited automation.

Williams said retailers should treat staff experience and operational efficiency as connected issues rather than separate goals. A more joined-up approach to scheduling, communication, task management and learning, he argued, could help reduce complexity.

He said: “Frontline operations platforms are becoming increasingly important as retailers look to simplify operations without creating additional friction for employees. By bringing together scheduling, communication, task management and learning into a single platform, retailers can reduce the complexity and costs associated with fragmented systems, while also creating a more connected and engaging experience for frontline teams. The retailers that will be most successful are those recognising that operational efficiency and employee experience are closely linked, not competing priorities.”

Field Farm Fisheries in Launton near Bicester, which offered a mixed coarse lake offering a ‘wide range of fish’, closed on October 31, 2024.

A statement on the Field Farm Fisheries website at the time said: “We will be closing on October 31, 2024 until further notice. 

“Please check back on the website in 2025 for any updates.”

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It has remained shut to this day with no updates given online in the meantime, and when the phone number listed on the website is rang, a similar automated message is read out.

According to the website, it mainly stocked carp and had four acre lake with two islands as well as offering private parking available.

“Set in delightful Oxfordshire countryside, Field Farm Fisheries in Launton near Bicester is a mixed coarse lake, which is extensively stocked, offering a wide range of fish,” reads a statement on the website.

“We mainly stock carp, a small quantity weighing in at over 30lb, with roach, rudd, tench, bream and golden orfe.

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“Field Farm has a 4 acre lake, which is picturesque, tranquil and an idyllic setting with 2 islands. There is ample, private and secure parking.”

Membership was priced at £10, with daily tickets priced at the same cost per person while it was a £5 charge for any spectators.

Field Farm Fisheries is located just three miles away from Bicester in North Oxfordshire, 14 miles from Oxford and a 15 mile trip from Aylesbury.

It remains unknown as to why the fisheries closed.