The UK government will scrap both NHSX and NHS Digital, merging them into a new body known as NHS England and Improvement (NHSE/I).
At the moment NHSX is responsible for setting national policy and developing best practices for NHS technology, including data sharing and transparency. NHS Digital provided tech and digital systems across the NHS.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid has accepted the recommendations of Laura Wade-Gery, non-executive director at NHS England and chair of NHS Digital, to incorporate the two tech bodies into NHSE/I.
‘The recommendations build on the huge progress made on digital transformation during the pandemic, following a commission by the Secretary of State in summer 2020, and will improve co-operation between the key digital bodies of the NHS by bringing them under one roof for the first time”, the government said.
The intent behind the merge is to bring both NHS tech bodies together, making it easier to drive the Service’s digital transformation agenda.
The changes will ensure that the health and care sector is equipped to face the future and deliver for patients, it is claimed.
Matthew Gould, CEO of NHSX, said in an internal email that the merger of the two tech bodies would “enable the NHS to drive the people-centred, digitally-enabled, data-driven vision for which we have been advocating”.
He added that NHS Digital’s interim CEO, Simon Bolton, would become the CIO of NHS England and report to Tim Ferris, transformation director at NHSE/I.
Last year The National Audit Office (NAO) – the independent public spending watchdog said it had problems with the existing model.
NHS Digital recently faced criticism when its proposed GP data sharing scheme was halted due to opposition from campaigners, the public and GP groups. The programme is on hold, with no implementation date announced.
