Few healthcare leaders have influenced transformation on as broad a scale as Sir David Sloman. With more than forty years in the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS), he has led hospitals, entire regions, and eventually the nation’s health operations through one of the most ambitious digital modernization efforts in the world.
In this episode of The CereCore Podcast, Sir David Sloman joins Phil Sobol to discuss the intersection of technology, leadership, and humanity. Their conversation dives into how artificial intelligence, data analytics, and bold leadership are helping healthcare systems worldwide confront their most urgent challenges while restoring the human connection at the heart of care.
When asked what keeps him up at night, Sir David described a list that would sound familiar to nearly every healthcare leader: rising demand, aging populations, growing workforce shortages, and the escalating cost of care. Yet his perspective is remarkably calm and hopeful.
“The challenges are global,” he said. “Every nation is trying to learn its way through them. But what gives me confidence is the creativity and compassion of people who work in healthcare. We have never had better tools, better data, or a greater opportunity to redesign care around patients.”
That mindset—optimistic but grounded—is the hallmark of his leadership philosophy. Sloman believes that digital transformation is not about chasing technology trends but about solving real problems in human ways.
Sir David has long argued that the role of technology is to serve people, not the other way around. During his time overseeing digital initiatives across the NHS, he witnessed firsthand how electronic records, automation, and artificial intelligence could either burden clinicians or empower them.
“Technology cannot replace compassion,” he explained. “What it can do is create space for it.”
He described how the NHS began experimenting with ambient AI and digital documentation tools designed to reduce cognitive load and restore clinician time. When the technology worked, it made a tangible difference. “That time is what allows staff to reconnect with patients,” he said.
This theme—using innovation to give time back—is now shaping how healthcare systems worldwide evaluate success.
Sir David’s leadership style is both analytical and deeply human. Having navigated crises from the COVID-19 pandemic to nationwide workforce shortages, he emphasized the need for empathy and optimism in every decision.
“The best leaders are both humble and optimistic,” he reflected. “They know how hard healthcare is, and they choose to lead anyway.”
For him, leadership is less about charisma and more about persistence. It is about building trust, communicating clearly, and creating cultures where staff feel safe to speak up. “You must listen deeply,” he said, “but you must also act decisively. People want to know that when times are tough, someone is willing to make the call.”
Over the years, Sir David has overseen numerous electronic patient record (EPR) implementations across NHS organizations. The lesson he returns to most often is that success does not end at go-live.
“If you are lucky, you implement an EHR once in your career,” he said. “If you are wise, you get the right help the first time.”
Sloman compared EHR optimization to clinical improvement itself—a process of constant learning and iteration. “Go-live is not the cup final,” he said. “It’s the end of the beginning.”
Under his leadership, NHS organizations developed governance structures that ensure each new digital tool continues to evolve. By embedding optimization into everyday operations, they turned what could have been a one-time implementation into a culture of continuous improvement.
While AI and automation dominate headlines, Sir David approaches them with both excitement and caution. He views artificial intelligence not as a replacement for clinicians but as an ally that can free them to do more meaningful work.
“AI is not here to replace clinicians,” he explained. “It is here to restore humanity to healthcare.”
He described the NHS’s exploration of AI-driven diagnostic support and data analytics to predict patient risk and improve outcomes. Yet, he cautioned, technology adoption must always center on trust and ethics. “The responsible use of AI will define the next era of medicine,” he said. “It is not about what the technology can do—it’s about what it should do.”
Looking ahead, Sir David sees healthcare entering an era defined by precision medicine, prevention, and personal responsibility. With the right data and governance, health systems can shift from reacting to illness toward predicting and preventing it.
He believes collaboration will be essential, both across borders and within organizations. “No single country has all the answers,” he said. “We must share knowledge and learn together.”
At the same time, he reminded leaders that technology will never replace the relationships that define care. “We are moving into a world of digital precision,” he said, “but patients will always remember how you made them feel.”
Sir David closed his conversation with a reflection that captures his entire career philosophy:
“Without vision, the people perish. What we do is hard, but it matters deeply. Stay optimistic, make the hard calls, and keep your courage.”
In a world where healthcare is under constant pressure to do more with less, his words are a reminder that courage and compassion are the true drivers of innovation.