Andy Kinnear

Andy Kinnear is former Health & Care Chief Information Officer (CIO) with 30+ years’ experience with the National Health Service (NHS) in Engalnd. He has a successful track record of delivering information & technology strategy and solutions and a wholehearted commitment to improving the health and care system. Andy left full-time work with NHS in March 2020 but continues to advise NHS South, Central and West on digital transformation strategy. 

Prior to March 2020 Andy was the Director of Digital Transformation for NHS South, Central and West  looking after the delivery of 200+ digital projects to NHS organisations across the South of England. As founder and former Programme Director for Connecting Care, the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire interoperability programme Andy remains a champion of shared record programmes, open standards and interoperability. Connecting Care is a partnership of 17 organisations in the West Country and has successfully created a single shared record combining data from GP Practices, Community Services, Local Authorities, Acute Hospitals and Out-of-Hours services. Connecting Care is recognised as one of the leading shared care record programmes England.

Andy was a founding member of INTEROpen, the open collaboration of individuals, industry, standards organisations, and health and care providers who have agreed to work together to accelerate the development of open standards for interoperability in the health and social care sector, and still has a seat on the Board. 

Andy has worked on a number of national level initiatives including as Local Delivery Advisor for NHS Digital, with NHS England on the creation of the NHS Digital Academy and their public facing initiatives including the NHS App, and latterly with NHSX on the development of their ‘What Good Looks Like’ programme 

In April 2016 Andy took on the role of Chair of the BCS Health & Care Executive to help develop the professionalisation agenda for CIO and CCIO colleagues & their teams. He has helped create the Federation of Informatics Professionals (FedIP) and supported the creation of the Faculty of Clinical Informatics. He completed his term of office in September 2019. Andy is also a founding member of the national Health CIO network in the UK and was elected to serve on the CIO Advisory Panel in 2016-2021. He is an experienced public speaker and routinely presents at national & international conferences on health and care information topics. Between May 2020-November 2023 Andy was Executive Programme Advisor to CHIME International – The College of Health Information Management Executives. Andy was part of the teaching faculty for residential & online development  programmes for digital leaders within health & care.