Visionable has appointed Rachel Dunscombe (pictured) as chief technology officer to lead the company’s strategy on the development of its video collaboration platform.

Dunscombe was chief information officer at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust before moving to Salford Royal as chief information officer and then becoming director of digital. She left the trust to become the first chief executive of the NHS Digital Academy.

Visionable uses technology to support clinical collaboration and to improve access to services for patients. The company has developed a collaboration platform specifically for healthcare that enables multiple users to share real-time audio and video feeds from any device. It is already being used to connect ambulances with A&E units, to deliver consultant-led stroke care to patients out of hours, to facilitate multi-disciplinary team meetings, and to run virtual outpatient clinics and remote consultations.

Dunscombe said: “In the past few weeks, we have seen the rapid development of new pathways to respond to the Covid-19 outbreak. But once we are through the crisis, we will need to continue that work to enable redesign of care pathways in the system. I see Visionable as a platform that we can scale fast in the face of Covid-19, to help keep clinical staff safe by reducing unnecessary contact between teams and patients.

She added: “In the longer-term, I see Visionable as part of a technology ecosystem that gets clinicians and patients working together, so clinicians can make the right decisions, in the right place, at the right time, while giving patients new tools to manage their own health.”

Visionable chief executive Alan Lowe said: “Rachel is seen as a thought leader, not just in this country but internationally. She will be taking on the strategic direction of the functionality we develop, working closely with clinicians. We have ambitious plans for growth, and we are putting together an outstanding team to deliver it; one that wants to do good and that is committed to our mission of supporting clinicians and making healthcare more accessible and equitable for everyone.”