NHS England’s incoming chief executive Simon Stevens has appointed a Department of Health director general to lead a new national directorate, HSJ has learned.

Karen Wheeler will become NHS England’s director for transformation and corporate operations. She will oversee functions such as IT, human resources, and internal operations.

Ms Wheeler will take up her post on 1 April, the same day as Mr Stevens. She will be a member of NHS England’s executive team and a non-voting member of board.

For the first few months of her role, she will continue with some of her responsibilities with the DH undertaking departmental business.

The transformation and corporate operations directorate will take over some existing functions of the policy and HR and operational development directorates. It will also bring together management arrangements for some of NHS England’s shared and outsourced services.

These include the ATOS ICT contract, the NHS Business Services HR and OD shared service, the CAPITA Occupational Health service contract and NHS England’s relationship with NHS Property Services.

In an internal note Mr Stevens said: “Karen has an extensive track record managing major operations and information technology programmes, and leading organisational transformation and major project delivery, in both the public and private sectors, so I’m delighted she will be joining NHS England.” 

NHS England chair Sir Malcolm Grant said he was “delighted that Karen Wheeler will be joining NHS England to lead this new directorate and… pleased that she is able to take up post so quickly”.

Ms Wheeler previously held senior civil service positions at the Cabinet Office and Ministry of Justice before joining the DH.

The departure of NHS England’s current HR director, Jo-Anne Wass, and policy director, Bill McCarthy, have both been revealed in recent days.

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