Transparency and information were the buzz words at the first session to be held on the Living Room stage at this year’s Innovation Expo.

Tim Kelsey, NHS England’s National Director for Patient and Information, told the audience ‘Can we be sure our health and care system is safe?’ that care.data was part of a revolution sweeping the NHS; allowing for transparency that will deliver a better service and greater participation by patients.

He said: “I think that we are at the beginning of something that in five years’ time we will reap the rewards of and we will be asking how on earth we could have run the health service so blind for so long.”

Commentator Roy Lilley, Mike Richards,  chief inspector of hospitals at the CQCs, and Niall Dickson, chief executive of the GMC, who appeared on stage with Tim Kelsey, also discussed the merits of the Friends and Family Test which so far this year has gathered 1.3million pieces of feedback from patients.