Aged care innovation at the Digital Health Festival

Digital Health Festival 2025 (DHF25) comes to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on 13–14 May with the aim to connect hospital and healthcare professionals and an ethos that the future of health care is digital. Established in 2021, the festival offers insights into the technologies and trends that are transforming clinical care, patient experiences and the industry as a whole.

Aged care innovation is among the festival’s key streams — exploring how cutting-edge solutions are being designed to enhance caregiving, promote independence and streamline healthcare management.

Talks include:

• ‘How Uniting leveraged its systems to increase workforce utilisation, efficiency and comply with regulatory requirements’ by Brad Kearns (Uniting NSW.ACT Head of Strategic Workforce Planning);
• ‘Integrating community-based aged care into the healthcare system: bridging the gap for better outcomes’ by Dr George Margelis (Ageing Australia), Angela Mannix (eHealth Victoria), Ramesh Raghavan (Uniting NSW), Abiola Akinbiyi (North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network (NWMPHN);
• ‘Enabling the new aged care world’ by Fay Flevares (Australian Department of Health and Aged Care);
• ‘Digitally empowering those in aged care’ by Professor Kim Delbaere (NeuRA), Rameez Hassan (Regis Aged Care), Dr Jagdeesh Singh Dhaliwal (GP/Monash University), Chris Radbone (MedicAlert Foundation Australia).
   

Some of the other key streams include:

• AI — how clinicians are implementing AI today, building ethical frameworks and seeing the solutions of tomorrow;
• cybersecurity — how a safer future for care is being secured;
• digital practice — how primary care is changing in the face of a digital revolution;
• health and wellness — how devices of tomorrow are improving preventative care and chronic disease management, boosting productivity and promoting overall wellbeing;
• interoperability — how communication and collaboration across healthcare providers has become front of mind, and pathways towards clean, safe data exchange;
• women in digital health — hearing from those women leaders who are forging a way for health care’s digital future.
   

With 10 conference theatres running simultaneously and 40% of attendees being decision-makers from Australia’s leading health services, brands and government, Digital Health Festival General Manager and Director Terry Cornick said there’s something here for everyone.

“Digital health is no longer just healthcare IT, it’s intertwined with medtech, pharma, biotech, cybersecurity, wellness, virtual care and more,” Cornick said.

“Think of it as your backstage pass to the digital health revolution. Whether you’re navigating AI adoption, tackling cybersecurity or brainstorming how to personalise care for the tech-savvy consumer, DHF25 gives you the tools, connections and inspiration to thrive.”

Tickets are available here, via the DHF25 website.

For more information about DHF25, visit www.digitalhealthfest.com.au.

Image: DHF24