NHS on the hunt for chief data officer

NHS Digital is recruiting for a chief data officer (CDO) who will develop and implement a data strategy for the NHS and champion data quality improvement.

The role, which will pay up to £176,750, will report directly to NHS Digital CEO Sarah Wilkinson and be accountable for building a “world class data, insight and statistics directorate” for the NHS.

The CDO will have a budget of around £57m and be responsible for developing and implementing a strategy to “address existing, emerging and future demands for integrated data, insight and statistics”, according to the candidate pack.

This includes the data requirement for population-based operating models and the recommendations made by national data guardian for health and care Fiona Caldicott.

“Data is a hugely valuable asset for the NHS, and as the health and care system struggles to cater for a population that is living longer, experiencing multiple chronic conditions and facing a dramatic growth in certain specific complex conditions such as dementia, we need to find ways to retain the value that arises when this data is made available to third parties,” the document said, adding that the CDO will work closely with the NHS chief commercial officer to create value-retention models.

The new CDO will also have to work hard to build trust among the public when it comes to data sharing. The NHS has struggled with gaining the public’s trust when it comes to data, following the Care.data scandal, where the programme was being pushed through without explaining the implications for highly sensitive patient records, eventually leading to it being scrapped. It recently launched an opt-out tool, making it easier for patients to opt out of having their details shared.

However, earlier this month, the NHS came under fire again, when it emerged it had inadvertently shared the confidential data of 150,000 patients over a three-year period due to a coding error in TPP’s GP IT system, SystmOne.