UK Terminology Centre appoints clinical director

NHS Connecting for Health has appointed Dr James Paton as clinical director for the UK Terminology Centre.

The centre, which is hosted by CfH’s Technology Office, was established in 2007 to provide a central point for managing, distributing, supporting and controlling the use of the SNOMED CT clinical terminology and related assets throughout the UK.

It is affiliated to the International Healthcare Standards Development Organisation (IHTSDO), a body made up of nine nations that bought the intellectual property rights to SNOMED CT in 2007.

CfH says that Dr Paton’s appointment is part of a general initiative to make sure that the centre and SNOMED CT are responsive to clinical needs and that clinical communities are well informed about them.

Dr Ken Lunn, director of NHS data standards and products, and head of the UKTC, said: “His appointment is timely, as SNOMED CT reaches maturity and penetration in the information systems that are used in the UK.”

Dr Paton has been director of clinical informatics at Queens Hospital, Burton on Trent, since 2002 and has also been involved in a number of local and national IT developments. He will continue his role as a consultant microbiologist at the hospital alongside his new position.