Health
Nigerian-born NHS leader urges AI use to cut healthcare administrative burden
Janet Ogundepo
A Nigerian-born public-sector digital transformation leader, Dotun Oluyade, has urged healthcare systems to rethink governance and administrative processes, warning that excessive reporting and bureaucratic requirements could undermine the objectives they are designed to achieve.
Oluyade, Head of Application & Development at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, made the call while delivering a keynote address at the 2026 Public Sector Data and AI Summit in Westminster, London.
The fifth edition of the summit, held at One Great George Street, brought together about 200 senior leaders in data, analytics, artificial intelligence and digital transformation from local and central government, the National Health Service and the wider United Kingdom public sector.
Speaking on the theme, “The Oversight Paradox: Cutting Through Administrative Noise to Restore NHS Purpose,” Oluyade examined the tension between the growing demand for clinical data and the administrative burden involved in collecting, assuring, reporting and managing the information.
He stressed that governance should ultimately strengthen decision-making and patient outcomes rather than create layers of administrative activity that consume professional time and resources.
“The objective should not simply be doing more with less, but doing more with precision,” he said.
Oluyade said public-sector organisations needed to distinguish between governance processes that create genuine value and those that add unnecessary complexity.
He noted that the growing sophistication of data, artificial intelligence and digital technologies provided an opportunity for healthcare organisations to rethink how information was used.
Rather than using data and technology merely to produce more reports, he said they should support faster, better-informed and more precise decisions.
The summit focused on the potential of data, analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning to transform public services.
Speakers examined how the responsible use of data and AI could help improve efficiency, reduce costs, strengthen decision-making and deliver better outcomes for citizens.
The event also examined real-world applications, emerging technologies, governance frameworks and practical approaches to digital transformation.
Oluyade’s contribution brought a governance perspective to the discussions, highlighting the need for technological transformation to be accompanied by organisational reform if its benefits were to be fully realised.
The discussions at the summit also highlighted the need for public-sector organisations to consider how governance structures and organisational cultures can support the effective use of emerging technologies.
For healthcare organisations, the summit highlighted challenges that includes managing large volumes of data, meeting accountability requirements, adopting emerging technologies and responding to demands for efficiency while keeping patient care at the centre of their mission.
Oluyade consequently questioned whether every layer of oversight improves outcomes or whether some administrative processes could unintentionally become obstacles to the purpose for which they were created.
His call to move from “doing more with less” to “doing more with precision” provided a framework for reconsidering how data, AI and governance could work together to deliver more effective public services.
With more than two decades of public-sector experience, Oluyade has worked in digital transformation, application governance and technology-enabled service improvement.
At Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, he leads the management and governance of the Trust’s application portfolio within the DDAT directorate, with responsibilities covering clinical interoperability, application governance, testing standards and the development of clinically safe AI-driven solutions.
His professional focus reflects the relationship between technology and public-sector reform, with emphasis on ensuring that innovation aligns with institutional priorities, professional needs and the people who rely on public services.
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