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Digital leadership changes for the NHS in north west London 25 Sep 2024

The retirement this month of Kevin Jarrold, joint chief information officer for Imperial College Healthcare and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Trusts, has set in train leadership changes across the wider North West London Acute Provider Collaborative and the North West London Integrated Care Board. 

Robbie Cline has been appointed to the new role of chief information officer for all four North West London Acute Provider Collaborative trusts. He takes over on 1 October 2024. 
 
Kevin Jarrold's legacy as long-serving chief information officer
 
After an NHS career spanning 38 years, Kevin Jarrold is retiring from his role as the joint chief information officer (CIO) for Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust on 30 September 2024. Kevin will retain his role as CIO for the North West London Integrated Care Board for the rest of this year, whilst transition arrangements are put in place. 

Kevin joined Imperial College Healthcare as CIO in 2011. Over the next five years, he drove the move from paper health records to a comprehensive electronic patient record (EPR) system able to attract NHS global digital exemplar status in partnership with Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. Taking on the role of joint CIO, Kevin then led collaborative work across the two organisations to have both working on the same instance of the EPR system. The next stage was to make that the single EPR for the new North West London Acute Provider Collaborative, with London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust going live in August 2023, and The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in November 2023. North West London is the first acute provider collaborative to achieve this milestone, offering huge benefits for patients and staff.
 
At the same time, Kevin led the growth of the North West London Care Information Exchange to become the largest patient portal in the country, with over 750,000 registered patients having access to appointments, letters and test results.
 
Kevin leaves the acute sector with a digital and data strategy set to make the most of new technologies for patients, staff and local communities. 
 
Robbie Cline appointed chief information officer across North West London Acute Provider Collaborative

Robbie Cline has been appointed into the new role of chief information officer (CIO) for the North West London Acute Provider Collaborative. He will take over on 1 October 2024, immediately following Kevin Jarrold's retirement.  

For the last four years, Robbie has been the joint CIO for London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust and The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Before that, he was director of ICT programmes at Imperial College Healthcare. In those two roles, he provided leadership for the implementation of the single electronic patient record (EPR) system across the four trusts in the acute provider collaborative.
 
Following Kevin Jarrold's announcement that he was to retire, the North West London Acute Provider Collaborative took the decision to move from having two joint CIOs to one to further strengthen joined up working. Robbie was appointed on interview in line with the Trusts' change management processes. Congratulations to Robbie on his appointment!

Kevin Jarrold, who will be continuing as chief information officer for the North West London Integrated Care Board for the rest of this year, said: “It has been a privilege to work with so many talented and dedicated colleagues during 38 years in the NHS, most recently at Imperial College Healthcare and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Trusts, and the North West London Integrated Care Board.

“When I first joined Imperial College Healthcare in 2011, I articulated an ambition: any clinician interacting with a patient should have reliable real-time access to all the information the trust holds about them, so they can offer the best care possible. I called it a simple ambition but we were a long way from it, with largely paper records and an ageing digital infrastructure. Fast forward 13 years and we have delivered this vision across all the acute hospitals in north west London.

“Our digital transformation, which is so critical to the health and care of the patients and communities we serve, will continue under the leadership of Robbie Cline.”

Professor Tim Orchard, chief executive of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, said: “Kevin is a huge figure in the health service, with his advice around ICT, data and systems routinely sought out by NHS colleagues.

“We’ve been very fortunate to benefit from Kevin’s expertise over the past 13 years - not least in leading our move from paper to digital patient records, which will continue benefiting patients for generations to come. I am very grateful for everything he’s done for the Trust and for our wider health system in north west London, and wish him a long and happy retirement.

“Kevin’s retirement will be a huge change for us. But we have an excellent successor in Robbie Cline, who will be chief information officer for the North West London Acute Provider Collaborative.”