Andy Kinnear is stepping down from his role as director of digital transformation at NHS South, Central and West after 29 years of service to the NHS, Digital Health News can exclusively reveal.
Kinnear, a vocal proponent of NHS digitisation and a key figure within both the NHS CIO circuit and Digital Health Networks, will leave the healthcare service in March 2020.
He told Digital Health News that it had been “a really tough decision to stand down”, commending his colleagues at NHS South, Central and West as “the best team I have ever had”.
Kinnear added: “We are doing some really exciting work with a range of organisations across Southern England. Our shared record programmes are really flying now”.
“I have some amazing lifelong friends in my team and know I will miss them terribly.”
Kinnear stepped down from his role at BCS Health and Care in September this year after three years serving as chair.
He told Digital Health News that, while he remained “addicted to the wonderful world of digital health and care”, he was taking time to rest and recuperate before seeking out the next challenge in the digital health space.
“I have been running flat out for nearly 29 years in the NHS now and need a bit of a rest,” Kinnear said.
“I am not sure there is such a thing as the right time; our world never really slows down and the next exciting project is only ever just around the corner. But sometimes you have to recognise the tank needs refilling and it’s about that time for me.”
“My fabulous wife Sarah and I have always promised ourselves we would have a break when we were 50 so now, we are making good on that promise. It won’t be all engines stop though as we are waxing the walking boots for an attempt at LEJOG (Land’s End to John o’Groats.)
“Wish us luck!”
22 October 2019 @ 22:19
amazing work on driving forward access to records and transformation, a loss to the South West, but the work you have driven forward will continue. Good luck with the rest and see you soon.
19 October 2019 @ 19:08
Andy, good luck for your LEJOG adventure and whatever comes next. I’m quite inspired by the idea of taking some temporary time out at 50 and might start to plan something for me too! We’ve only met a few times but I’ve always really enjoyed our conversations and you are going to be a real loss to the sector. Look forward to hopefully welcoming you back soon.
18 October 2019 @ 17:30
Congratulations and all the very best Andy
17 October 2019 @ 16:40
I do hope this is au revoir and not goodbye. Working with you was one of the main reasons for me to come back to the Southwest . My cunning plan of picking your brains and taking the credit is now in tatters. Seriously, you are a top bloke and will be sadly missed. I wish you well in whatever you do and good luck with LEJOG!
17 October 2019 @ 16:30
All the best Andy – you did an amazing job at BCS Health and Care and I really enjoying the fun times together taking forward the professionalism agenda.
17 October 2019 @ 16:28
Hi Andy
I would like to say as a friend and a supplier, my heartiest best wishes for your future journey, both on LEJOG and new career choice.
It has been a pleasure to work with you and the team on Connecting Care and thank you for all your support. Please keep in touch and if you and Sarah walk through Surrey, I’ll buy the beers!
All the best,
Royston
16 October 2019 @ 21:02
Hey Andy, all the best… it is a hard slog and a long slog being authentic and continuing to drive for what is the right thing to do for the service … I still remember working on the Interoperability Handbook with you all those years back!!!…..
Your influence and footprint will continue to resonate… Enjoy the rest, re-charge and the reason why we’ve been driving information sharing agendas are deep-rooted in us so hopefully we’ll see you on the scene in some form soon….
16 October 2019 @ 14:34
Andy, congratulations on your decision, but what a loss to the NHS and Social Care sector and digital health. You have been an innovator who believes that great ideas time will always come and your optimism and steely determination has always shone through. You have been able to create and lead teams across multiple organisations and engender such a fantastic team ethic that people from the outside could never tell who worked for which organisation. That’s an amazing achievement across our NHS and Social Care.
Whilst it would be extremely unfair to call you a “Big Beast”, in times to come, digital transformation archeologists will see your footprints across the landscape and identify them as yours for all the good that you have done. Good luck in whatever you do – and especially LEJOG – and hope to see you back when you are ready. All the very best.
16 October 2019 @ 09:49
A genuine example of an authentic leader. On behalf of the Digital transformation community, the Informatics Professional leadership community and providers and users of health and care in this country thanks for your inestimable contribution in chapter 1. Enjoy the break and the jog from Lands End to John O’Groats. We look forward to welcoming you back for the next chapter. Friends and colleagues will be counting the hours. Best.
16 October 2019 @ 07:40
Wishing you all the best for the future… and adventures 🆕 🔮
15 October 2019 @ 17:53
Really sorry to see you go, Andy but fully understand the decision. You were an inspiration in the establishment of Great North Care Record and we wont forget it but we know you can only do so long in shared record land trying to deliver a coherent vision with incoherent funding into an incoherent organisational structure before the well of goodwill runs dry. Shared record projects are bleeding talent this year. Some exit interviews might be appropriate? You may not be the last. Hopefully an outbreak of sanity in regional NHS governance is overdue and you’ll come back to a system with sustainable investment and jobs.
15 October 2019 @ 14:49
Andy, congratulations on your decision. I too came to the same conclusion after 29 years in healthcare IT so I recognise how difficult that decision can be. I still watch this space with interest and when you consider where we started we have come so far! But as they say, we only get one go round in this life and there is so much to see and do. Good luck with your LEJOG training, I’m off to my second archaeological dig in the Spring. Best wishes
18 October 2019 @ 14:16
Totally blown away by folks taking the time to comment, and even more by the kind words. Truly humbling.
I will be around until March and back before you can say “oh no, not him again” but I definitely need the break for recuperation. As Joe says, this space is hard work and there comes a point where we have to repair ourselves to have a chance of keeping the mission on track.
I’ll be out to see as many as I can before I lace up the walking boots in Cornwall 🙂