The NHS website (www.nhs.uk) is funded by the Department of Health. The content, data and services on NHS Choices are commissioned by NHS England and delivered by NHS Digital.
The governance of NHS Choices ensures that the digital service is able to meet the demands of its users and partners. It aims to be transparent, focused on user insight, measurement and outcomes, and combines objectives from both health and social care.
The governance processes support the day-to-day delivery of the core services and drive the continuous transformation of www.nhs.uk to ensure it meets evolving user needs and adapts to changing technologies.
The governance structure includes:
The NHS Choices Commissioning Board
The Commissioning Board defines and manages the strategic direction and priorities for NHS Choices, and makes decisions where competing priorities impact on the delivery of the service. It is accountable to the Informatics Assurance Group (IAG). The IAG is chaired by the Informatics Assurance Officer, who is one of the directors-general in the Department of Health and has responsibility for growth, innovation and technology.
Members of the board include representatives from NHS England, Department of Health, GOV.UK, Public Health England, the social care sector, the NHS Choices User Council and the NHS Choices Clinical Assurance Board.
The NHS Choices Operations Board
The Operations Board has ownership of the NHS Choices business plan and decides on the priorities for the delivery of www.nhs.uk. The Operations Board is chaired by NHS England’s Head of Digital Services and meets fortnightly. The Operations Board also discusses any programme risks based on the delivery report. Any issues raised are then taken to the monthly SRO (Senior Responsible Officer) meetings, which are chaired by NHS England’s Director of Strategic Systems and Technology. The NHS Choices Commissioning Board is the ultimate owner of the risk register.
The NHS Choices User Council
The User Council helps the service to understand what people expect from it and how to act on the identified needs and requirements. The User Council members are representatives from arm’s length bodies, patients, service users, professionals from health and social care backgrounds, digital e-health experts, NHS England, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), GOV.UK and NHS England’s Patient and Public Voice teams. The User Council meets every two months to review user insights, provide input to strategic planning and examines prototypes of new products.
The NHS Choices Delivery Board
The Delivery Board’s main role is to track delivery and identify risks, issues and mitigation. The board meets on a weekly basis and is chaired by the Delivery Director for NHS Choices.
The Clinical Information Advisory Group
The Clinical Information Advisory Group (CIAG) is part of the overall governance of the Digital Services delivery programme. The group is responsible for setting editorial and data quality standards for NHS Choices and for providing overall clinical governance for the service.
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