60 Second Interview: Mik Horswell

Mik Horswell

A former NHS IM&T lead, Mik Horswell now works as a consultant. He is council member of the UK Council for Health Informatics Professionals (UK CHIP). He is also a director of the Institute of Healthcare Management and a member of ASSIST and the British Computer Society.

What is the first thing you do when you get into the office?

Coffee, settle the dog under the desk, check email and then plan priorities for the day, so I do what needs doing rather than what is easy to do!

Your favourite gadget at the moment?

A wind-up LED torch, usable anytime anywhere. It includes a recharger for the mobile phone – simple and effective.

What’s the best thing about your job?

Flexibility, from being self-employed; variety from never being quite sure what I will be doing next month; and the opportunity to meet lots of interesting and dedicated people working across the NHS.

As a director of UK CHIP, it must be the enthusiasm that individuals still have for doing the job in a professional way, despite all the complications that exist in the current NHS.

Pet hate?

The ever-increasing burden of bureaucracy that the Department of Health and its related regulators are creating for the NHS – why does life have to be so complicated?

I also get frustrated by the constant round of organizational change, which often ends up recreating previous structures and leaves staff demoralised, exhausted and confused about where the job is going.

e-Health innovation that interests you at the moment?

The challenge of creating a secure, life long, personal health record that I can have control over, but which will always be with me when I meet with a healthcare professional. I’m interested in experiments with patient held records of different kinds, including implanted chips!

Favourite book or song (or both!)?

I’m currently reading Long Way Down by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman. It’s about motorcycling down through Africa, something I would love to do if only I had time, money, a motorbike…

Favourite website?

www.eepybird.com (entertainment for the curios mind). Very good, whenever you want a smile…

In a perfect world, what would you be doing?

For as long as I am capable, working in an orphanage in Uganda that my wife and I have volunteered in before and then retiring to the mountains in Austria, where we once lived and worked.

Read E-Health-Insider? We want to get to know you! If you work in NHS IT and would be happy to take part in a 60 second interview, contact EHI reporter Joe Fernandez on: joe@e-health-media.com or call him on 0207 785 6901.