The NHS’s first ever director general of information is Richard Granger who joins the service from Deloitte Consulting.
Mr Granger comes to healthcare with extensive experience of public sector IT at Deloitte where his clients have included Transport for London and the former Departments for Education and Employment and Social Security.
In his new high-profile role Mr Granger will report to the Department of Health’s director of research, information and analysis, Sir John Pattison, and be responsible for implementing the government’s ambitious information and technology programme.
Announcing the appointment, NHS chief executive, Nigel Crisp, said, “Without doubt this is the IT challenge of the decade and I am confident that Richard’s skills and experience put him in a unique position to deliver it.”
Mr Granger said, “Few technology modernisation programmes have such a significant impact; successful completion will lead to tangible benefits for every patient.”
Crucially, Mr Granger will be supported by a central programme team of his choosing, which will be expected to work closely with the Information Policy Unit, NHS Information Authority and NHS Purchasing and Supplies Authority. He is expected to take up the new post in late September 2002.
One of the most intriguing parts of Mr Granger’s CV is that he was responsible for setting up and operating Deloitte Consulting’s ONE pilots in Leeds and Suffolk. Set up in June 1999, ONE was a government pilot programme to integrate different services such as the Benefits Agency, the Employment Service and Local Authorities. The pilots tested how different services could be be integrated and delivered through a single gateway as part of the re-design of welfare services.
The ONE programme provided the template for the concept of a national Jobcentre Plus network, a key part of the Department of Work and Pensions that replaced the Employment Service and the Benefits Agency in April 2002.
It will be interesting to see whether information technology will also provide the lever for far reaching change and re-design of services in health and social care.