Like many industries, the health sector has seen significant changes over the past decade, thanks to digitization. With more and more technology becoming available for healthcare professionals, digitization has resulted in improved patient care and better collaboration within health facilities. Rachel Murphy is a digital service delivery specialist, CEO, and entrepreneur leveraging tech developments to bring about change. As one of the few women in a heavily male-dominated industry, she has smashed through the glass ceiling and left an indelible mark in the United Kingdom’s health sector, in both the public and private work.
Some of Rachel’s iconic roles include her work with the UK’s National Health Service, where she oversaw a patient-facing digital transformation. Her introduction of digital technologies like the NHS.UK and the NHS App directly led to a reduction of patients going into Accident and Emergency rooms. The app and website encouraged patients to use many of the services digitally, which led to a decrease in wait times for appointments and improved access to healthcare. Later, the services were expanded to allow remote access to an individual’s medical records and booking appointments. By the end of the project, the services had scaled to serve about 50 million users per month.
When she left the NHS, Rachel built and sold a health tech business called Difrent for a total consideration of £13.2M. Initially, the company was set up to provide recruitment services. It later morphed into a professional services business providing end-to-end digital services for public organizations. Difrent has helped build several national health services, including NHS Jobs, where all hiring for the NHS is done. In June 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, Rachel and her team created the Covid home testing service using PCRs. While she has moved on from Difrent, the positive impact she’s had on countless lives won’t be forgotten.
Rachel’s passion and commitment to efficient service delivery have not gone unnoticed. In 2020, she won major wins in quick succession, first by selling her company for a notable sum of money and then receiving an award for CEO of the Year. The following year she was part of the Inspiring Fifty for the UK. This year Rachel has been shortlisted for the Inspiring Fifty across Europe. The winners of this category will be announced in mid-June. Rachel has established a reputation as a winner in an industry where failure is often inevitable.
Rachel’s ongoing, notable success hasn’t caused her to stray away from what’s most important: making a positive impact on the lives of others. The world of health and wellness attracts selfless people, and Rachel is certainly one of them. Even beyond medical care, she’s dedicated to helping those in need.
“I have just led an aid mission to Ukraine to help out with the refugees, having raised £20k to buy food for refugees,” she shares.
Reflecting on the professional success she’s already experienced, Rachel is still considering her next steps.
“Right now I am taking a couple of months out before thinking about my next move,” she says. Whatever step that may be, considering her past entrepreneurial endeavors, it’s likely to thrive.
Members of the editorial and news staff of the Las Vegas Review-Journal were not involved in the creation of this content.