Tim Kelsey has been until recently Executive Director of Transparency and Open Data at the Cabinet Office, UK Government, leading on the development of national public data policy. He is now National Director for Patients and Information in the UK National Health Service Commissioning Board. He co-founded Dr Foster, the organisation which internationally pioneered publication of comparative hospital death rates and other measures of health quality. Kelsey has become a leading activist for transparency in quality in public services and was the architect and launch programme director of NHS Choices.
The British Government has just published Unleashing the Potential – the Open Data White Paper [PDF]. It is the culmination of a two-year programme to put transparency and participation at the centre of its strategy for public service reform. The White paper contains measures that embeds a ‘presumption to publication’ in tax-funded services and ensures easier access