Graham Folmer has resigned his position as Director of Programme and Service Delivery with the NHS Information Authority .
Responsible for delivery of the NHSIA’s programmes of work, Folmer has executive responsibility for key NHSIA projects such as GP connect and NHSnet.
An NHSIA spokesperson told E-Health Media that Folmer had not resigned to take up another post and planned to "Take time out". It is understood that his future plans include travel.
Folmer will remain at the NHSIA until April, after the deadlines for key targets such as connecting all clinicians to NHSnet have passed at the end of March.
He has over 20 years healthcare IT experience, both within the NHS and in the private sector. He joined the Information Authority from Addenbrooke’s NHS Trust where he was Director of Information and Performance Management.
Folmer is the second senior executive to resign from the NHSIA in the past five months. In September 2001 Nigel Bell unexpectedly resigned from his position as chief executive of the Information Authority, and in October took up a post at the office of the e-Envoy.
The NHSIA spokesperson told E-Health Media that final interviews to find Bell’s successor are scheduled to take place at the end of March.
The spokesperson was unable to confirm whether Gwyn Thomas, who has been acting chief executive for the NHSIA since Bell’s sudden departure, will be applying for the position of chief executive.
Industry sources indicate that Thomas enjoys a good relationship with Sir John Pattison, NHS head of R&D, and the man with overall responsibility for IT in the NHS.