Director of Digital Health
Job summary
The Director of Digital Health Delivery provides strategic and operational leadership for the delivery, optimisation and transformation of the Trust's Electronic Patient Record (EPR) and clinical systems ecosystem.
Main duties of the job
The postholder will lead the teams responsible for the configuration, development, and enhancement of clinical applications to ensure they support safe, effective, and efficient patient care. This includes responsibility for the clinical safety of all digital clinical systems and for ensuring compliance with DCB0129/DCB0160 standards.
Clinical engagement will be a core function of the role, with the postholder responsible for ensuring meaningful, ongoing involvement of frontline clinicians in the design, implementation, optimisation and evaluation of all digital clinical systems.
About us
The role will form part of the senior digital leadership team alongside the Director of Digital Strategy & Innovation and the Director of Technology & Infrastructure, working collectively to deliver the Trust's digital ambitions as outlined in the Digital Strategy.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Main Duties and Responsibilities
1. Strategic Leadership
Provide visible clinical and digital leadership and strategic direction for the EPR and clinical systems portfolio.
Ensure all clinical applications align with Trust, professional and national NHS digital strategies.
Act as the accountable clinical and digital officer for systems that enable safe, effective and efficient patient care.
Lead delivery of the Digital Strategy clinical systems plan, ensuring measurable improvements in quality, safety, and patient experience.
Translate clinical needs and digital vision into executable and value-driven delivery plans.
2. Electronic Patient Record (EPR) Transformation & Optimisation
Lead the EPR transformation and optimisation programme, ensuring clinically safe delivery against agreed outcomes.
Drive clinical engagement, ensuring the system is co-designed, tested and optimised by frontline clinicians to meet real-world clinical, operational and patient needs.
Oversee change control, configuration, testing, release, and benefits realisation for all EPR modules.
Ensure effective interoperability and data flow across systems.
Monitor and report on clinical outcomes, adoption and user satisfaction.
3. Clinical Systems Management
Lead the management and continuous improvement of the Trusts portfolio of clinical systems, ensuring system rationalisation and alignment with enterprise architecture principles.
Oversee supplier performance and service delivery for all clinical applications.
Ensure robust clinical and digital governance around configuration, integration and standards.
Ensure compliance with information governance and data protection requirements.
4. Clinical Safety
Act as Senior Responsible Clinician for Digital Clinical Safety across all digital clinical systems.
Ensure compliance with NHS Digital clinical safety standards (DCB0129/DCB0160).
Work closely with the CCIO to embed clinical safety throughout digital programmes.
Oversee incident management, post-implementation reviews, and the integration of lessons learned.
5. Digital Skills & Literacy
Provide strategic oversight of the Trusts Digital Skills and Digital Literacy.
Develop and deliver a Trust-wide programme to improve digital confidence, capability and literacy amongst clinical staff.
Ensure digital skills development is embedded into workforce development, clinical education and professional practice.
Work with education leads, clinical leaders and HR to align digital capability with role requirements and safe patient care.
Monitor digital literacy levels and define improvement targets, reporting progress to the executive team.
6. Leadership and People Management
Provide strategic leadership to digital delivery teams, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement.
Line manage senior digital delivery managers and clinical systems leads, ensuring clarity of objectives and accountability.
Support workforce capability development aligned to the NHS Digital, Data and Technology Profession Capability Framework.
Promote equality, diversity, and inclusion across all aspects of team management and service delivery.
7. Stakeholder and Partnership Working
Build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders including clinicians, operational leaders, suppliers, and NHS partners.
Represent the Trust in ICS, regional, and national digital forums.
Contribute to business cases, funding bids, and assurance submissions related to digital delivery.
Ensure that digital delivery supports integrated care pathways across organisational boundaries.
Person Specification
Education / Qualifications
- Clinician with current registration (GMC, NMC, HCPC or equivalent)
- Master's level education or equivalent experience
- Project/Programme Management qualification
Experience
- Significant senior leadership in digital health
- Extensive experience in senior digital leadership roles in the NHS or a complex health organisation.
- Proven delivery of large-scale EPR or clinical systems transformation.
- Strong understanding of clinical workflows, patient safety, and how digital systems enable clinical care.
- Knowledge of national NHS digital policies.
- Demonstrable ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and manage change in complex environments.
- Experience of leading digital skills development, clinical engagement programmes and workforce transformation in a healthcare setting
- Experience in mental health/community settings
EPR/Systems Delivery
- Proven delivery of large-scale EPR or clinical systems programmes
- Experience with TPP (SystmOne)
Clinical Safety
- Knowledge of DCB0129/DCB0160 and clinical risk management
- Experience as a Clinical Safety Officer
Leadership
- Strong track record of managing senior teams and complex stakeholders
- Experience developing digital professions
Interpersonal Skills
- Excellent leadership, communication, influencing, and negotiation skills
Technical Knowledge
- Understanding of interoperability, integration, and application lifecycle
- Knowledge of HL7, FHIR standards
Digital Literacy & Skills
- Experience leading organisation-wide digital literacy or skills programmes
- Formal education / training qualification
Values and Behaviours
- Respect and dignity - valuing every individual's contribution.
- Commitment to quality of care - striving for excellence in all aspects of service delivery.
- Compassion - acting with empathy and understanding.
- Improving lives - driving innovation and improvement.
- Working together - fostering collaboration across disciplines.
- Everyone counts - ensuring equity and inclusion for staff and patients.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.
Employer details
Employer name
Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust
Address
CNWL Trust HQ
350 Euston Road
London
NW1 3AX
Employer's website
https://www.cnwl.nhs.uk/work