Professor Tim Briggs – Chair of the GIRFT programme – has been appointed to the role of National Director for Clinical Improvement and Elective Recovery, supporting the national effort to deliver best practice during the most ambitious elective catch-up plan in NHS history.

Tim’s new role will see him continue his close work with the Elective Recovery Programme team and with Sir Jim Mackey, who leads the programme. His role as GIRFT Chair will continue alongside his work to support the Elective Recovery team in delivering a cohesive and streamlined service in alignment with the core objectives of the new NHS England Operating Framework.

He said: “The NHS Elective Recovery Plan, published earlier this year, set out how the health service would address the backlogs that have inevitably built up during COVID, over the next three years.

“Clinical engagement has been highlighted as critical if we are to succeed and I look forward to utilising the wealth of experience of the GIRFT implementation and elective hub teams, clinicians from the GIRFT programme, and NHS England’s National Clinical Directors involved in elective recovery, to help support the national elective recovery effort.”

NHS England’s chief operating officer, Sir David Sloman, welcomed the appointment and said: “I am pleased that our Elective Recovery Programme will be able to draw more consistently on Tim’s deep expertise and experience under Jim’s overall leadership going forward.”

Tim was appointed to the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital as an orthopaedic consultant in 1992. He first conceived and developed the GIRFT programme to review elective orthopaedic surgery and address a range of observed and undesirable variations in orthopaedics. In the 12 months after the pilot GIRFT programme, it delivered an estimated £30m-£50m of efficiencies in orthopaedic care – predominantly through changes that reduced average length of stay and improved procurement.

Tim was appointed as National Director for Clinical Quality and Efficiency in September 2015 and asked to lead and roll out his GIRFT methodology across more than 40 surgical, medical and cross-cutting specialties.

He was made a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2018 New Year’s Honours List for services to the surgical profession, and in January 2019, was made National Director of Clinical Improvement for NHS England.