The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust and Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust have appointed Ravinder Kaur Sahota (Ravi) as their new Chief Digital and Information Officer (CDIO), bringing nearly two decades of NHS experience and a proven track record of delivering large-scale digital transformation.
Ravi will lead the Group's Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) function, inclusive of medical engineering, supporting both Trusts' ambitions to harness technology, data and innovation to improve care for patients, enhance colleague experience and strengthen operational performance. Her appointment comes at an exciting time for the Group, which continues to invest in digital infrastructure, electronic patient records, artificial intelligence, analytics and cyber security as part of its commitment to delivering world-class healthcare services. Over the next 12 months, her priorities will focus on strengthening the digital foundations across the Group, including infrastructure modernisation, enhanced cyber resilience, cloud migration and the future development of core clinical systems. She will also oversee the expansion of innovative technologies and responsible adoption and development of an AI Academy and the continued growth of advanced analytics capabilities.
A strong advocate of collaboration, Ravi sees significant opportunities in bringing together expertise and resources across both trusts. She explained: "It's an incredibly exciting time for digital healthcare, but our focus must always be on delivering measurable value rather than technology for technology's sake. Digital innovation should solve real problems for patients and colleagues. Whether that's reducing delays, improving access to care, supporting earlier intervention or freeing up clinicians to spend more time with patients, technology must have a clear purpose and benefit. One of the greatest opportunities within our Group model is moving from two organisations commissioning and developing similar solutions separately to a 'build once, share often' approach. We are already seeing the benefits through our development, integration and commercial functions, where we can deliver programmes once, at scale, and achieve greater value for patients and taxpayers."
Among the achievements she is most proud of is the Group's work on Ambient Voice Technology as a flagship success, helping clinicians reduce administrative burden and spend more time focused on patient care. The programme has expanded from a local pilot to become the largest procurement of its kind in the NHS across the Midlands.
Ravi has recently been announced as one of 100 top healthcare influencers by Distilled post (a media and editorial platform delivering curated stories and insights across technology, healthcare, and business sectors). The 100 brings together people and organisations working across different parts of UK healthcare. Ravi has been recognised with other leaders for her work in modernising digital infrastructure and strengthening information governance to unlocking the potential of data and emerging technologies.
Ravi's NHS career began unexpectedly. Having worked in a large finance and investment firm overseas, she returned home to support her family when her father became unwell and took what she believed would be a temporary role within the NHS. That opportunity sparked a passion which has developed into a 17 year career dedicated to healthcare transformation. Reflecting on her journey, she said: "I joined the NHS almost by accident. I took the first temporary role I could find and it happened to be in service transformation. What I thought would be a short term job became a career that I absolutely love. My interest in digital began in 2011 when I was assigned to a digital transformation project. I quickly realised there was a lot I needed to learn, so I enrolled in night classes to study coding and develop my understanding. I've stayed in digital ever since because of the impact it can have on patients, colleagues and services."
Her motivation remains deeply personal: "I see my parents getting older and needing healthcare, and I know that one day my children will rely on these services too. I feel a responsibility to leave the NHS, and certainly the part I can influence, better than I found it. I'm inspired every day by colleagues across our hospitals and community services who work under enormous pressure to provide excellent care. Digital should make their jobs easier, not harder. Ultimately, I want to know that the work my teams and I have done has made things better for patients, easier for colleagues and created something that future generations can build upon."
Group Chief Executive Diane Wake commented: “We are incredibly lucky to have Ravi on our leadership team, her influence helps shape how we use digital technology to adapt, innovate and make better informed decisions for our patients and the local population. To see Ravi recognised in the top 100 is a great accolade and one which is very well deserved.”