Richard Corbridge, Chief Digital and Information Officer, at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, one of the largest NHS trusts in England, is to leave for new role outside the NHS.
Digital Health News understands Corbridge, who joined Leeds in late summer 2017, is joining Walgreens Boots Alliance, as global director of innovation where he will responsible for the transformation of Boots and the future of the high street pharmacy and retail store. Corbridge has been one of the highest profile NHS CIOs over the past two years.
When he joined Leeds, Corbridge was taking on leadership of a trust which has had a challenging and fraught recent history on IT with severe recent infrastructure problems.
However during his time in Yorkshire and Humber, Corbridge helped oversee the region’s successful Local Health and Care Record Exemplar (LHCRE) bid and has played a high profile role in the trust’s bid to “axe the fax”.
He has also been key the trust board giving the green light for the development of its in-house open platform electronic health record (EHR) to continue for another three years.
Prior his role in Leeds, Corbridge also served as high-profile CIO of the Irish Health Service Executive (HSE) and the CEO of for eHealth Ireland from 2014 to 2017.
In Ireland, Corbridge’s achievements included helping create one national team that delivers healthcare technology and digital change across the whole of the Irish healthcare system.
Despite his new role, Corbridge will still be chairing the session of past leaders at Digital Health Rewired and will also be hosting a future leader stream at Summer Schools 2019.
Corbridge’s decision to leave the NHS is the latest in a flurry of high-profile NHS CIOs leaders to leave the health service.
In February NHS Digital Academy CEO, Rachel Dunscombe, announced she was departing as CIO of Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, to take up a role at healthcare IT data and insights company KLAS Research..
In January Juliet Bauer announced she was departing her role as chief digital officer at NHS England to join online GP consultation provider LIVI. And in November 2018 Cleveland Henry’s move from a senior role at NHS Digital to become a director at UKCloud Health.
17 March 2019 @ 13:39
It’s not that people leave that should be of concern it is the short tenure within any role. Digital transformation and cultural change cannot be achieved at scale in 18 – 24 months. It needs years. Good luck to both rachel and richard and their successors
15 March 2019 @ 10:19
I agree with Joe. This is very concerning that the top leaders are taking their skills elsewhere. Richard has been the type of digital leader the NHS must have to deliver its ambitious plans. That said, What an exciting opportunity for Richard. Walgreens Boots got an excellent leader. I wish him all the best.
14 March 2019 @ 19:08
A damned shame that the NHS can’t hang on to talent like Richard. It might be educational for the NHS to carry out exit interviews when superstars like Rachel and Richard choose to step out. Should be getting promoted not poached. Who next?
15 March 2019 @ 10:16
I’d hope that leaders like Rachel and Richard taking roles outside the NHS is not a one-way street, and think that more people having spells in different parts of the wider health system, and other industries entirely, potentially brings a wider range of valuable experience into the NHS.
But there has been a bit of a flurry of high profile departures recently and look forward to reporting some new high profile CIOs joining, or returning to, the NHS.
14 March 2019 @ 13:54
A great experience in Leeds with one of the best teams I have ever worked with from Exec colleagues to clinicians to the digital team, you will struggle to find a more passionate and committed team anywhere.
The trust is committed to the replacement of the CDIO role at an Exec level and will open the recruitment in the next couple of weeks, I couldn’t recommend the opportunity enough, the #LeedsDigitalWay a great place to work.