Key Summary
- Through NHS Online, patients will be able to access specialist clinical expertise through the NHS App.
- Dame Clarke joins the Online NHS Trust from NHS England, where she is currently Regional Director for London.
- Before joining NHS England, she was Group Chief Executive of the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust
Dame Caroline Clarke has been appointed the first Chief Executive of the Online NHS Trust, the national digital-first NHS trust.
The Online NHS Trust was established earlier this year to deliver virtual elective care across England in 2027, and the service is expected to provide millions of virtual appointments and assessments.
Through NHS Online, patients will be able to access specialist clinical expertise through the NHS App.
It will connect patients with clinicians across the country, while they continue to receive tests, scans and procedures closer to home through local NHS services.
Dame Clarke joins the Online NHS Trust from NHS England, where she is currently Regional Director for London.
She leads the NHS’s work across the capital and oversees an ambitious programme of transformation and improvement for health services serving almost 10 million people.
Before joining NHS England, Dame Clarke was Group Chief Executive of the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust between 2019 and 2023, having previously served as Deputy Chief Executive.
She has also held a number of senior leadership positions across the NHS, including Finance Director roles at several NHS organisations, and worked as an Associate Partner in KPMG’s health strategy team.
Regarding her new posting, Dame Clarke said: "I am delighted to be joining the Online NHS Trust as its first Chief Executive, at such an important moment for the NHS. NHS Online has the potential to transform how patients access specialist care, connecting them with expert clinicians quickly and conveniently through the NHS App, while continuing to provide tests, scans and procedures closer to home.
"Having spent my career working across the NHS, most recently leading the health service’s work across London, I have seen first-hand how much difference the right innovation can make to patients and staff alike. I am hugely excited to bring that experience to building NHS Online from the ground up, creating a service that puts patients first and helps reduce waiting times for everyone."
Minister of State for Health Karin Smyth said: "I’m delighted that someone with Dame Caroline’s experience and talent has joined the Online NHS Trust.
"As we develop NHS Online, her leadership will be vital in helping more patients access specialist expertise through the NHS, wherever they live.
"The government is looking forward to working with Dame Caroline and the new trust as we reshape how people interact with the health service for generations to come."
