Chief information officer David Walliker is leaving Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen after being appointed to the newly-created role of chief digital and partnership officer at Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) NHS Foundation Trust, it was announced this week.

During his career, Walliker has held a number of roles in NHS IT, from head of informatics at the Cheshire and Wirral Partnership trust to national ICT manager for the Welsh Ambulance Service. In 2013, he took on the role of CIO at Liverpool Women’s Hospital, and added the Royal Liverpool Hospital to his responsibilities two years later.

At OUH, Walliker will lead the trust’s involvement in the Local Health and Care Records Exemplar programme and support the development of integrated partnerships in the Oxfordshire area, starting in October.

Peter Knight, former chief information and digital officer at OUH, left the organisation in September 2018, according to a report from the Health Service Journal.

THE LARGER PICTURE

The OUH trust provides a suite of clinical and specialist services, as well as medical education, training and research, at four hospitals in the region: John Radcliffe, Churchill, the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre and the Horton General Hospital. John Radcliffe is the largest one, and is also the main accident and emergency site in Oxfordshire.

The trust is part of the national Global Digital Exemplar scheme, which has so far provided funding to 51 acute, mental health and ambulance trusts to accelerate the digital transformation of the health service, including Walliker’s soon-to-be former trust, Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen.

OUH is also one of 22 NHS trusts to use the Cerner Millennium EPR. Back in 2017, along with the University of Oxford, it partnered with the Mayo Clinic to drive advances in medicine, boost research and improve patient care.

ON THE RECORD

This week, the organisation also revealed that it would be recruiting for a new director of strategy. Kathy Hall, who is currently in this role, has been appointed as director of technology and data strategy at NHSX, the health service’s new unit for digital technology.

Commenting on Walliker's appointment, Dr Bruno Holthof, OUH chief executive, said: “I am delighted David will be bringing his expertise to help us transform and improve services within the Trust through the application of digital technology as well as looking at our future needs and how digital can help deliver them. David brings a wealth of relevant experience and will be a valuable addition to our Board.”

In a statement, Walliker added: “I am looking forward to starting my new role at Oxford University Hospitals in October. The Trust is already doing a lot of work to transform the way it interacts with patients, the public and internally to go digital, but there is so much more we can do.

“It is an exciting area of work with huge possibilities. I am also joining at a really important point for the Trust in terms of partnership working as the Trust works on refreshing its strategy and deepening its partnership working with other health and social care providers and engaging with local communities.”