IT director John Thornbury dies

John Thornbury, winner of EHI’s Healthcare IT Champion of the Year Award in 2010 and a long serving director of IT in several NHS trusts, passed away on Monday 28 April.

Thornbury was widely recognised as one of the most innovative and influential figures in the healthcare IT community, known for his problem-solving attitude.

His last appointment was as director of IT at Dudley Group of Hospitals Foundation Trust.  Before that, he was director of ICT, Worcestershire Acute Hospital NHS Trust and head of information at Walsall Primary Care Trust.

Thornbury started his career in microbiology and pharmaceutical research, but as pathology systems began to develop, he moved into computers during the infancy of NHS IT.

When he won his EHI Award he said, with characteristic modesty: “I am very pleased to have won, but this is really an award for my team; for all the people behind me. I do not think I have done anything different to lots of other IT people. It is all about working hard to support patient care. So this is an award for everybody involved in healthcare IT.”

Linda Davidson, EHI director, said: “John was much loved and admired in our sector and was a popular winner of the Healthcare IT Champion Award.  I first encountered him when he was working in Walsall and recognised that he was a leader committed not only to advancing healthcare with the use of information technology but also to communicating his ideas and views to a wider audience.”

Chair of Genio Health and Life Science and a friend, Charles Lilley, said: "John was a keen advocate of innovation and the involvement of start-ups and other small companies providing services and products into the health market. He acted as a mentor and coach to a number of people who worked with him.

"He believed in driving people and their careers. He will be missed by colleagues, friends – by all of us associated with him."

Justin Whatling, chair of BCS Health said: “John was a highly respected member of the health informatics community. He pushed the boundaries with healthcare IT innovation and drove the organisations he worked for to be early adopters and benefactors. He had huge personal commitment and passion, and has been deservedly recognised as a key leader of our time."

At the time of Thornbury's award a commenter in his local paper wrote: “David Cameron needs to snatch this guy up now to oversee the IT in the whole NHS, [he] will save loads of taxpayers’ cash!”

Thornbury was often in demand as a conference speaker and well-liked by all who met him. He was recognised for his knowledge on interoperability of systems, especially in his work at Worcester where he created a joint IT platform at its five acute hospitals, among several other projects.