I was appointed as a Non-Executive Director at Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust in 2019, where I chaired the board’s digital committee and oversaw a period of significant investment in IT and digital.
The context of my appointment goes back to the WannaCry ransomware incident in 2017. Although it was not directly aimed at the NHS, 80 out of 236 hospital trusts across England were affected by the incident. One of the most severely impacted was Northumbria.
This led to the commitment to making the investment required to drive a significant improvement in the Trust’s digital offer, including my appointment as the first “Digital NED” on the Trust Board. A huge team effort followed, going through a painstaking process of rebuilding and improving, starting with the very basics, and developing into some cutting-edge delivery.
The organisation’s commitment to digital transformation means it is now seen as an examplar in the NHS.
In this interview, recorded as I was coming to the end of my six-year term on the Trust Board, I give some insight into the trust’s advancements in digital health and data-driven patient care. Topics include the shift to electronic patient records, which has digitised over 200 million pieces of paper, improving care efficiency across the region, as well as innovative tools like NerveCentre and DrDoctor that empower real-time hospital management and patient self-scheduling. I also touch on how AI systems are aiding in stroke care.
The Times ran an article on 8th August 2025 about the trust (paywall).
Against all odds, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust tops the list for performance and patient satisfaction
