Matthew Swindells to join Cerner

Former NHS IT boss Matthew Swindells is set to join US health IT giant Cerner, following his resignation from consultancy firm Tribal.

E-Health Insider understands that Swindells is likely to take up an international role within Cerner, rather than one specific to the UK. Cerner declined to provide details of his new role.

Swindells has held the post of managing director for health at Tribal for the past two years. Following his departure, Kingsley Manning, former head of health consultancy Newchurch, will lead firm’s health activities.

Swindells is the current president of the British Computer Society’s Health Informatics Group. His appointment to a company at the heart of the National Programme for IT in the NHS may prove difficult to square with the BCS’s non-aligned position.

Prior to joining Tribal, Swindells was interim chief information officer of the Department of Health, a special adviser to health secretary Patricia Hewitt, chief executive of Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Trust, and a former NHS IT director.

“We are thrilled to have an executive of Matthew’s calibre join our strong global executive team,” said Neal Patterson, Cerner chairman, CEO, president and co-founder. “We have long admired and respected Matthew’s healthcare leadership talents.”

Cerner also announced that Alan Fowles has been elected as a director of Cerner Ltd. In addition to his new position, Fowles will continue in his role as General Manager, Cerner UK and Ireland.