NHSX launches search for national CIO

NHSX is recruiting a national CIO to help deliver the missions of the government healthtech unit and the long-term plans to digitise the NHS.

The new CIO will play a central role in helping NHSX to deliver the Health Secretary’s Tech Vision, which builds on the NHS Long Term Plan that was published in January, and helping the unit to accomplish the following five key missions:

• Reducing the burden on clinicians and staff, so they can focus on patients
• Giving people the tools to access information and services directly
• Ensuring clinical information can be safely accessed, wherever it is needed
• Improving patient safety across the NHS
• Improving NHS productivity with digital technology

The postholder will work with NHSX CEO Matthew Gould and NHS Chief Clinical Information Officer (CCIO) Simon Eccles to achieve these objectives, while also helping the clinical team to scope, design and deliver new programmes for the NHS.

Read next: What is NHSX? Inside the government’s new healthtech unit

Specific responsibilities include ensuring NHSX is fully sighted on tech developments across the NHS, building ways to share knowledge and best practice, managing the provider digitisation programmes, acting as a channel of communication between the wider NHS, the regions and NHSX, and heading up the NHS’ CIO profession.

In a tweet, Eccles described the role as the “the fulcrum of NHS and NHSX.”

The national CIO post is finally up on NHS jobs. We’d love the most diverse pool ever – v v happy to chat if you’re thinking of applying (and thanks to everyone so far) This job is so important to the LTP, it’s the fulcrum of NHS and NHSX. Please applyhttps://t.co/9AKjRYcYO0

— Simon Eccles (@NHSCCIO) November 14, 2019

The appointment adds another member to the leadership team of NHSX, which was launched by Health Secretary Matt Hancock in February as new body to lead the digital transformation of public healthcare nationwide.

Read next: NHS CCIO Simon Eccles appointed deputy CEO of NHSX

In July, NHSX CEO Matthew Gould announced that Eccles would be adding the job of NHSX deputy CEO to his existing role of NHS CCIO, and that Hadley Beeman had been appointed acting CTO of NHSX. Both Eccles and Beeman had worked closely with Hancock prior to their appointments at NHSX.

Anyone interested in the £131,301 per annum CIO role can apply here. The closing date for applications is 28/11/2019.