John Browett appointed inaugural Chair of NHS Online

John Browett has been appointed the first Chair of NHS Online, the NHS’s new digital-only trust which formally launched today.

NHS Online will operate the service’s first digital-only trust, providing remote specialist care to patients referred by their GP. Consultations will be delivered by doctors based across the country, accessible through the NHS App and other digital channels. The trust is expected to treat its first patients next year, with an initial focus on a small number of clinical areas including eye care.

John Browett brings extensive senior leadership experience from the private sector. He has served as Chief Executive of Tesco.com, Dixons, Monsoon Accessorize and Dunelm, and held the role of Senior Vice President of Retail at Apple in 2012. He currently chairs the Institute of Directors and Cifas, the UK’s leading fraud prevention service, and is a senior adviser to Boston Consulting Group.

John Browett said: “I’m delighted to take up the role of Chair of the Online NHS Trust, which will deliver NHS Online, as we take this important step towards bringing patients faster and easier access to specialist care.

“In my previous roles across technology and retail, I’ve seen how much people value services that are intuitive, responsive and built around their needs and look forward to helping shape this new way of delivering NHS care.”

The appointment was proudly supported by Saxton Bampfylde.