Te Whatu Ora appoints chief data and digital officer

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Te Whatu Ora appoints chief data and digital officer

Monday, 27 February 2023

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NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth

Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand has appointed Leigh Donoghue as chief data and digital officer.

In a letter to staff, Te Whatu Ora chief executive Margie Apa said Donoghue will “lead the implementation of digital and technology innovations that improve access to care, enhance our people’s experience of work and supports our strategic aims and key system shifts”.

“He will work in close partnership with Te Aka Whai Ora – Māori Health Authority to ensure the principles of Te Tiriti and Māori data sovereignty are put into practice and opportunities for equity through digital means are enabled,” she says.

Also, with with primary care and NGO sectors to “drive a culture of transparent, usable data sharing to drive health innovation using insights from across the sector”.

Donoghue is currently based in Melbourne where he is Accenture’s health industry lead for ANZ and the wider APAC region, and has previously lived in the USA and UK.

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Apa’s announcement says he has significant experience in leading complex, multi-year change across diverse teams and delivery challenges.

Accenture’s website says he led the professional services company’s involvement in the delivery of the new National Telehealth Service (NTS) in New Zealand.

This involved supporting Homecare Medical (now called Whakarongorau Aotearoa), in the design and implementation of the new NTS, which brought together a range of health and counselling lines into an integrated national service leveraging a digital platform.

Donoghue also worked closely with the Australian Department of Health over the past six years, including development and delivery of the Australian national electronic record service, My Health Record.

In a LinkedIn post, Donoghue says his professional interest is large scale change, triggered many years ago while working for a mission-based organisation tackling homeless and youth suicide prevention.

He says health is the ultimate challenge for those passionate about meaningful change and after 30 years it is time to pivot from consulting to something new.

Donoghue will take up the permanent position at Te Whatu Ora on 1 May 2023.

Apa thanked Stuart Bloomfield for his advice, direction and mahi as the interim lead for data and digital, a role he took on in June 2022.

Picture: Newly appointed chief data and digital officer Leigh Donoghue