By Tony Collins

The Health CIO Christine Connelly has resigned. I understand it’s for personal reasons and that she has no new job lined up.

She is being replaced on an interim basis by an executive at the Cabinet Office Katie Davis. It’s likely that Davis will remain Director, Operational Excellence at the Cabinet Office until she replaces Connelly on 1 July 2011.

Connelly says in her statement that the Department of Health faces a major reorganisation of its top structures that will result in fewer Director General posts. “I have been reflecting on whether I would wish to go for one of those roles and decided that I will not.”

The Cabinet Office has indicated in recent months that it wishes to have more control over negotiations of a £3bn contract with CSC under the National Programme for IT, NPfIT.

This was the Department’s statement this morning, in full:

“Christine Connelly, Chief Information Officer for Health, has announced that she will be leaving the Department of Health at the end of the month.

“Christine said: “The Department of Health faces a major reorganisation of its top structures that will result in fewer Director General posts. I have been reflecting on whether I would wish to go for one of those roles and decided that I will not.

“I have had a fascinating and challenging time in this role and I have decided that this is the right time to step back and think about what I might do next.

“I believe that information and technology have the potential to dramatically change the way health services are delivered to patients, and we are already seeing this happen in many parts of the service. I am confident that informatics will have a major role to play in delivering both the quality and efficiency challenge that the NHS faces.”

NHS Chief Executive, Sir David Nicholson, said:

“Christine has made a major contribution to the NHS, in promoting both the sharing and management of information, and as a professional with considerable experience of leading change.