Interim leadership revealed for NHS Frontline Productivity plan

Exclusive: The interim leadership structure for NHS England’s new Frontline Productivity programme has been revealed.

An internal email, seen by Digital Health News, sets out the leadership structure for the Frontline Productivity programme, which will launch on 1 April 2026 to support the ambition to deliver a 2% year on year productivity gain over three years.

It will succeed the £2bn Frontline Digitisation programme, which aimed for 96% of trusts across England to have an electronic patient record (EPR) system in place and reach a core level of digitisation by March 2026.

The email from Dermot Ryan, director of transformation at NHSE, says that the interim structure is “intended to provide clarity and leadership during this period of transition to the new Frontline Productivity programme”.

It adds that adjustments will “enable us to maintain momentum and ensure effective oversight whilst we await further details regarding the DHSC’s new operating model and organisational structure”.

Under the interim structure, Minal Patel, programme director, digital transformation at NHSE, will take the new role of programme delivery director, reflecting the greater responsibility that regions will have for delivery. She will also lead the mobilisation of frontline productivity.

Tim Ellis, director of One Digital Estate (frontline capabilities) at NHSE, will continue to lead the business case approval process, taking it through to Treasury approval, and lead the procurement for a delivery partner for Frontline Productivity once the programme business case is approved.

Business partnering will be lead by Rob Wakefield, deputy director of programmes (digital transformation) at NHSE, to ensure that teams are embedded across the organisation by managing the cross-NHSE and DHSC relationships in line with the NHS 10 year health plan, and connect governance across these different areas.

Wakefield will also continue to lead on knowledge management, usability and pathways.

Patrick Clark, director of networks and structures at NHSE, will lead in orchestrating the establishment of NHS Centres of Excellence and collective offer to the frontline.

The digital partnering team will continue to be lead by Lee Rucker, supporting the frontline to maximise the adoption of national products and services. Rucker will also support Clark in establishing Centres of Excellence.

Lisa Austin, deputy director of programmes at NHSE, will continue to lead the programme management office team and maintain responsibility for the management office “including organisational internal-facing work”.

Ryan said that the interim structure was “designed to provide the necessary support and stability during this period” and will be reviewed and adjusted as necessary once the new DHSC operating model and structure are confirmed.

Leaked slides, shared at a Tech UK event in December, revealed that the Frontline Productivity programme will focus on EPR optimisation through tools such as clinical support and AI, ambient voice technology, and federated data platform use cases.

It will also focus on change management, increasing cyber security resilience, and reducing the productivity drag of legacy technology.

Speaking at the HETT Leadership Summit in February, Ming Tang, interim chief digital and information officer, said that NHSE  is “starting to move away” from EPRs to focus on creating business change.