The government has said that digital transformation, as well as recruitment, training, and retention of staff will be put at the heart of the NHS in England under new reforms announced by the health secretary.

Sajid Javid, secretary of state for health and social care, accepted new recommendations of Laura Wade-Gery, non-executive director at NHS England and chair of NHS Digital, including to merge NHSX and NHS Digital into NHSE/I.

NHSX is a joint unit of NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care, while NHS Digital develops national IT and data services that support clinicians in the NHS.

The government said that the recommendations build on the “huge progress” made on digital transformation during the pandemic, following a commission by the Secretary of State in summer 2020.

It added that bringing the departments together under one roof would “improve co-operation between the key digital bodies of the NHS.”

“In the rest of our lives, digital has really changed how we live and we must now make this true in healthcare,” said Laura Wade-Gery, non-executive director, NHS England, and chair of NHS Digital. “The goal of my review is to equip the national centre with the right capability to support Integrated Care Systems to deliver better citizen health."

Share Story: