South London NHS Trust appoints new CIO

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) has appointed Stephen Docherty as its CIO, with the Trust’s chief financial officer describing the critical responsibilities of its new CIO in supporting NHS staff and driving digital innovation in public sector healthcare.

The former Student Loans Programme Director will lead the development and implementation of the Trust’s IT and digital innovation, and Docherty will also provide leadership for informatics for the South London Health Innovation Network.

SLaM’s CFO Gus Heafield said: “We’re delighted to announce that Stephen Docherty is joining SLaM. The role of CIO is critically important as it ensures that the Trust has reliable IT systems that support staff to deliver excellent services to our patients.

“Further to this, I’m confident that Stephen’s experience and knowledge will allow SLaM to continue in its leadership role driving digital innovation in the NHS. On behalf of the Trust, I would like to thank Alan Brown, Interim CIO, and his team for their support over recent months. I hope that colleagues will join me in welcoming Stephen to SLaM.”

Docherty has also worked as Global IT director for e-commerce technology provider SmartFocus, and Deputy IT Director Europe for Sony.

He also serves as Non-Executive Director on the Board of Maudsley Learning, a subsidiary of the Maudsley Charity that supports and provides world-class learning in mental health and wellbeing.