Movers and shakers news round up

Movers and shakers this month include appointments at Virgin Care and Google’s health division, meanwhile NHSX loses its head of policy for tech and data.

Katie Farrington has left NHSX and is now director at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Farrington formally lead NHSX’s policy teams working on tech and data, after joining the Department of Health in 2015 to support Dame Fiona Caldicott’s review of data security and consent.

On her move, Farrington said she was “very proud of what we’ve achieved – on data sharing, the WannaCry response and with NHSX – thanks to amazing colleagues.”

She told Digital Health News: “I’m sorry to leave NHSX as it is a lovely team and I’m very supportive of Matthew, but after four years in post it was the right time for a move.”

Nicole McGlennon has been appointed managing director of the East Midlands Academic Health Science Network (EMAHSN).

McGlennon will join the EMAHSN in November and will play a key role at the heart of the East Midlands’ health and care system.

In her new role with EMAHSN, McGlennon will lead the organisation in helping to address some of the biggest health and care challenges facing the region, including those identified in the NHS Long Term Plan.

She has experience working in the medical technology and pharmaceutical industries, joining from ConvaTec Group, an international medical products and technologies company, where she worked as Business Unit Director UK and Ireland for the Wound Care and Infusion division.

She said: “I am extremely excited to start in my role as Managing Director of the EMAHSN. I feel like this is a positive time for me to join the organisation, as there are lots of opportunities for health and care organisations to respond to key priorities outlined in the NHS Long Term Plan and we can use our knowledge to help them identify solutions and spread proven innovations.”

James Ormonde has been appointed business development director at Graphnet.

Ormonde was previously sales director at Orion Health for 10 years.

“Graphnet has successfully extended shared record functionality into full population health and analytics and I am really excited to be joining the company on that journey”, Ormonde said.

One of Ormonde’s first initiatives will be to stage a one-day workshop The Big Share, with a view to sharing best practice and customer experience on how to deploy shared records and population health successfully.

Juliet Bauer was this month formally named UK managing director of digital healthcare provider LIVI.

Bauer, who was formally NHS England’s chief digital officer, succeeds Luke Buhl-Nielson, who has taking up the position of VP business development and operations for the global business.

Bauer said: “There is enormous potential for technology to completely revolutionise and improve the delivery of care in a digital age.

“By providing faster and more convenient access for patients, enabling doctors to work more flexibly, and reducing the burden on physical GP surgeries, LIVI is at the forefront of a digital transformation in healthcare that is relieving pressure on the NHS.

“I am delighted to be leading the business at such an exciting time as we look to expand our services to more areas of the UK.”

David Bennett has joined Virgin Care as chair.

Bennett is former head of Number 10’s policy unit under Prime Minister Tony Blair, and has had a long and wide-ranging career in senior roles in the public and private sectors.

He served several years as chairman and chief executive of Monitor, where he was responsible for the economic regulation of the health sector and for overseeing around two thirds of NHS trusts with a combined £46bn turnover.

Bennett also has extensive background in the health and social care systems – since leaving Monitor, he has worked with a number of businesses that are seeking to help the NHS deliver better services to its users.

Digital health platform Heartbeat Labs has hired former Babylon Health chief experience officer Chad Jennings as chief product officer (CPO).

Jennings is a product and design leader with twenty years of experience at the intersection of product, design, brand, user experience, and technology.

Before joining Heartbeat Labs, Jennings led Babylon’s the consumer product, design, content, and user research teams.

In his role as CPO at Heartbeat Labs, he will support the platform in its mission to “build companies that drive the digitalisation of healthcare and medicine by serving actual user needs.”

Stephanie Kaiser, founder and managing director at Heartbeat Labs, said: “Chad is a great addition to our team, not only with his strong background in building digital products, but also with his insights into the healthcare market and his human-centered approach.

“We are very happy to welcoming him and are looking forward to strengthening our product-driven culture at Heartbeat Labs.”

Karen DeSalvo has been appointed Google’s first chief health officer.

DeSalvo previously served as an administration official for former US President Barack Obama, acting as assistant secretary for the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in addition to running the Office of the National Coordinator, which manages the US’s health IT.

She will report to David Feinberg, VP of Google Health.

Tell us about a new CCIO, CIO or CNIO appointment within your NHS organisation by emailing us: news@digitalhealth.net