What Jules Hunt’s Appointment Reveals About the Next Phase of NHS Digital

The arrival of Jules Hunt as interim director general for technology, digital and data at the Department of Health and Social Care marks more than a change in personnel. It's a statement of intent.

Hunt, who has held senior roles at PwC, IBM, and Deloitte, now becomes the NHS’s top technology leader, overseeing digital delivery across both DHSC and NHS England. His appointment comes as the system enters a critical execution phase: the new joint executive team under permanent secretary Sam Jones is forming, and the long-awaited 10-Year Health Plan is shifting from strategy to delivery.

Known for his commercial focus and data-led accountability, Hunt brings a private-sector edge to a public system still struggling to turn ambition into impact. His task is to ensure technology underpins every layer of health reform, making the NHS’s analogue-to-digital transition something measurable, not merely aspirational.

It’s a tall order. Years of investment have produced pockets of digital excellence but inconsistent adoption across the service. Trust leaders continue to wrestle with outdated infrastructure, fragmented data, and variable digital literacy. Bringing in a leader with consultancy credentials signals a government appetite for sharper governance, clearer metrics, and visible outcomes, but it also risks reviving old debates about centralisation versus local autonomy.

The deeper challenge will be cultural, not technical. Real transformation depends on how well digital tools improve clinical workflows, streamline patient access, and knit together community and hospital care. Dashboards and data lakes alone won’t deliver safer or more responsive services.

Still, Hunt’s appointment signals a shift from consensus-building to command-and-control. Ministers want momentum. His success will rest on balancing private-sector precision with the NHS’s public mission, proving that efficiency and empathy can coexist in a system built to serve everyone.

Whether this becomes a genuine turning point or another reset in a long digital journey remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: technology is no longer the supporting act in UK healthcare. It has become the headline.