Dr Justin Whatling has been elected the new chairman of BCS Health, part of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT.
Dr Whatling takes over from Matthew Swindells, who stands down at the end of his three-year tenure in the role. Adam Drury has been elected secretary for BCS Health.
Previously vice chairman, Dr Whatling’s appointment comes at a critical time as the Department of Health, NHS staff and industry bodies seek to implement a 10-year government strategy to transform the use of IT in the NHS, public health and social care sector.
He said of his new role: “I am delighted to have been elected chairman. It is an incredibly exciting time and BCS is ideally positioned to help develop the professionalism of the sector to support a flourishing informatics market while continuing to champion the benefits of IT in healthcare and providing leadership in this area, not only for individuals, but also through our work advising other professionals, working across the NHS and government.”
Under Swindell’s leadership, BCS Health has helped to shape the debate on healthcare IT and was a leading voice in the development of the Government’s NHS Information Strategy. The organisation was also instrumental in the successful campaign for the appointment of chief clinical information officers in all NHS Trusts and is now gearing up to support informatics professionalism in this network, building on the support provided to the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges in the creation of an eHealth Competency Framework for clinicians. In addition, the group is working with the Department of Health to create patient guidelines for safe record keeping.
Swindells said: “It has been a privilege to lead BCS Health for the past three years. I am proud of the work we have done to lead the debate on health informatics and I have greatly valued the support and expertise of Justin Whatling. He will bring invaluable experience and knowledge to the role of chairman, as well as a passion for the benefits healthcare IT can deliver for patients and clinicians.”