NHSX, the unit tasked with driving the digital transformation of health and care in England, has announced today (28 February) that Sonia Patel has been appointed as chief information officer (CIO).

Patel is currently the joint CIO for London North West Healthcare and the Hillingdon Hospitals trusts. 

In the new role, she will follow in the footsteps of Will Smart, who left the role in September last year and later joined DXC Technology as global director for customer engagement, healthcare and life sciences.

WHY IT MATTERS

Health secretary Matt Hancock launched NHSX last year to overhaul the use of digital, data and technology across the NHS and social care, after coming to grips with the reality that clinicians in some places have to log into as many as 15 systems when caring for a patient.

Furthermore, according to a new document released by NHSX this week, a quarter of providers have no electronic patient record in place, while a third of social care organisations still run on paper.

Revealing the news on Twitter, NHSX chief executive Matthew Gould said Patel would join the team this summer.

Richard Corbridge, director of innovation for Boots UK and former chief digital and information officer at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, tweeted that it was a “superb appointment”, while Health Education England CIO James Freed said it was “hugely deserved”.

THE LARGER PICTURE

Earlier this month, NHSX appointed Natasha Phillips to the role of chief nursing information officer (CNIO). Phillips, who will join the unit in April, is currently the CNIO of University College London Hospitals.

At the end of January, the agency also named David Turner, chief technology officer (CTO) at betting company William Hill, as its new CTO, who will start in May.