Keynote: Dr Kevin Fong, OBE

There is a new rhythm to our lives. In the digital age, the pace of progress is exponential, the clocks we depend upon are nestled in microchips, beating billions of times each second. 90% of all the information ever generated was created in the last two years. All of this means that technology is getting better and faster all the time. With that comes new capability in every corner of our lives touched by the digital revolution; even medicine is slowly being dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century.

But with this capability comes uncertainty too. New technologies become obsolete at a rate never before seen, and with that the skills and businesses involved in their manufacture. What can we in medicine expect of the future? Where should we set our expectations and how should we prepare ourselves for our lives and careers in this brave new world? In a world full of machines that learn and computers that get faster at an exponential rate, what will be left for the humble humble human in the loop to do? In this talk, Dr Kevin Fong takes us on a journey from the breathtaking capability of the present into a future that is increasingly hard to predict.

Dr Kevin Fong has worked as a doctor with NASA and currently flies as part of a helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) crew in the UK. As a front-line emergency physician, his expertise lies in understanding teamwork, risk management and decision making under extreme pressure. With degrees in astrophysics, medicine and engineering, he is also something of a renaissance man. Having worked with NASA’s human space flight programme in Houston, Dr Fong also has a unique perspective on science, technology, exploration and the limits of the human body which he has brought to life in his incredible talks inspiring a global audience at both public and corporate events. In 2015, he delivered the prestigious Royal Institution Christmas Lectures.

Dr Kevin Fong has also brought his expertise to both television and radio. He co-presented ‘Astronauts: Do You Have What it Takes’ and ‘Operation Goldrush’ with Dan Snow. He wrote and presented ‘Space Shuttle: The Final Mission’, ‘To Boldly Go’ and several Horizon programmes including ‘We Need to Talk about Death’, ‘Cyber Attack’, ‘Back from the Dead’ and ‘How to Avoid Mistakes in Surgery’. He presented Channel 4’s ‘Extreme A&E’ and his radio documentaries include ‘Game Changer: Fortnite’ and ‘Trauma Medicine: The Fight for Life’ on BBC Radio 4. As an author, Dr Kevin Fong has written ‘Extremes’ which won an American Association for the Advancement of Science Award (AAAS) in 2015. He was awarded an OBE for services to science, medicine and healthcare in H.M. The Queen’s 2019 birthday honours.

https://www.housing-technology.com/speaker/keynote-dr-kevin-fong-obe/

Housing providers need to recognise that their relationship with customers is changing. To do this, they need to harness the power of digital technology and use it to focus on improving the experience of customers. In this case study session, you will learn how Silva Homes analyses the changing needs and demands of customers using data, transformed the business to focus on the customer experience, and created a high-quality digital platform.

Speaker: Rob Smyth (executive director for people, digital & change)

How we are unpicking legacy, fixing the plumbing and taking the organisation with us… Like many organisations, Valleys to Coast has a complex tangle of technology and a huge demand for change. So we’ll be talking about: where to start when everything is on fire; helping senior managers understand what’s going on and winning their support; why we chose Chromebooks for our colleagues; and learning to be comfortable with ambiguity when it’s our role to establish clarity.

Speaker: Polly Thompson (IT director), Neil Tamplin (IT/digital delivery manager) & Jonathan Abraham (IT infrastructure & support manager)

New technology provides us with tremendous opportunities… But if you’re getting the ‘data basics’ wrong, you won’t be able to take advantage of those opportunities. Common errors on the ‘data basics’ – such as collection, quality, storage, warehousing, KPIs and ownership – can often be tackled without large system investments.

Speaker: Philip Dunn (head of business intelligence)

The security of Thrive’s data is of paramount importance… Ensuring the ‘castle walls’ are strong enough is only part of a layered security model – a simple example would be that the strength of the ‘walls’ is irrelevant if the guard leaves the gate open! Integrity is just as important, but the ‘guards’ (IT) don’t have the knowledge and skills to know if the data is correct or incorrect, just if it ‘looks’ right. The people working in the ‘castle’ need to maintain the accuracy and integrity of this so that the right decisions can be taken. This all needs to be done within the rules of the King (ICO). This is Thrive’s IT data ‘story’.

Speaker: John Stenton (IT manager) & Raheef Khan (system support engineer)

Find out about how Kingdom Housing has been running its business on Chrome OS, removing the desktop, internal networks, static license agreements and deploying new services in GCP, with the result that we’ve cut costs with G-Suite, zero-cost BYOD, procurement in a day, reduced risk, increased performance and provide the best user experience for employees! Furthermore, integrate cloud DMS to your housing system for staff and tenant access, and run your legacy apps in a browser.

Speaker: Gary Haldane (head of digital)