Joanne Shaw has been appointed as Chair of NHS Direct to lead the Trust from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2013. Joanne has been acting Chair since August 2008, and as permanent Chair, she will ensure that NHS Direct continues to lead the development of remote and digital health services to support patients and the wider NHS.
Alongside her role at NHS Direct, Joanne is Chair of Datapharm Communications, which provides digital medicines information to the NHS, the pharmaceutical industry and the general public. Until August 2008, she was a Trustee of the Long-term Conditions Alliance and chaired the not-for-profit company behind ‘Ask About Medicines’: the independent campaign to increase people’s involvement in decisions about their use of medicines.
Two new Non-Executive Directors, Luisa Dillner and Tim Heymann, have been appointed to the Board of NHS Direct for a four year period from 1 February 2010 to 31 January 2014.
Luisa Dillner is Head of New Product Development at the BMJ Group where she has launched some of their most successful online products for doctors and consumers. Most recently she launched doc2doc, an online international global community for doctors and healthcare professionals. She trained in medicine at Bristol University and qualified as a surgeon before leaving the NHS to take up the post with the BMJ. Luisa also spent two years as Health Editor at the Guardian and has written three books and numerous health articles for consumer publications.
Tim Heymann is a consultant physician at Kingston Hospital, specialising in gastroenterology and liver disease. There he has developed Kingston Case Notes, an award-winning pilot electronic patient record, and has provided the clinical lead for major projects that have helped redefine the way in which services are delivered. He also works at Imperial College Business School and is responsible for much of the development and delivery of health management courses for undergraduate medics, post graduates and senior health service managers in the UK and abroad. Dr Heymann’s appointment has been made in principle.
Joanne Shaw says:
“We are delighted that two such talented individuals are joining our Board. Their medical expertise and insight into the use of technology in health care will complement the experience of our existing Executive and Non-Executive Directors. They will also further strengthen our links with the medical community.”
Dr Brian Gaffney has been appointed NHS Direct’s Director of Public Health.
Brian will develop our public health strategy and represent the organisation amongst other public health professionals. He will also advise the Board on medical matters and represent NHS Direct as our senior medical advisor at external events. Brian was the Chief Executive Officer of the Health Protection Agency in Northern Ireland and is a practicing GP.
