Steve Townsend is the new ‘CDIO’ at Guy’s and St Thomas’
- 10 April 2017

A major London acute trust has appointed a new chief digital information officer.
Guyās and St Thomasā NHS Foundation Trust has announced that Steve Townsend isĀ itsĀ new chief digital information officer.
HeĀ has previously worked for Transport for London, Carphone Warehouse and the British Army.
Townsend said in a statement that he wasĀ excited to work in the NHS for the first time.
āThe NHS is close to my heart and it will be a privilege to repay a debt of gratitude ā I have nothing but admiration for the clinicians and staff working in this incredible institution, especially those who provided life-saving treatment to my son.ā
Amanda Pritchard, chief executive at the trust, said Townsend was joining the team to ārefresh and update our digital strategy, and begin in earnest the critical process of selecting a new electronic health recordā.
Townsend will be a non-voting member of the board.
Pritchard paid tribute to Townsendās predecessor, Scott Sommerville, who led the trustās IT and telecoms team for the past eight years.
āThrough this appointment we will ensure that Guyās and St Thomasā is able to benefit from the transformational changes that new technology and the current revolution in informatics can bringā, she said.
A trust spokesman said Townsendās role āwill include some different responsibilitiesā to those Sommerville held, such asĀ duties around information governance.
Digital Health News has previously reported on the trustās digital efforts, with its plans to invest Ā£213 million in IT from 2012 to 2017.
In July last year, Gary McAllister, the trustās chief technology officer, said that introducing the new digital booking system, DrDoctor, would save the equivalent of Ā£3.4 million a year.
In April 2015, the London trust launched the Kids Sleep Dr app to track the sleep pattern of children with sleeping problems.