The first survey of serving NHS chief clinical information officers (CCIOs) highlights the deep clinical experience that is being brought to the new role. It also shows CCIOs are spending 50% more time on the role than their organisations have budgeted for, as they make clinical engagement and information strategy their top priorities. This clearly highlights the growing importance of the CCIO.

St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, one of the most technologically advanced hospitals in the country and IMS MAXIMS, a supplier of end-to-end electronic patient record systems have partnered to offer the NHS a fully integrated electronic patient record solution.

Clinical and nursing staff will join IT colleagues and suppliers next month, at EHI Live 2012, to explore ways to promote and develop clinical information leadership within the NHS. They will be attending the CCIO Leaders Network Annual Conference, the UK's first conference dedicated to bridging the gap between doctors and nurses and the technologists installing and running IT at all levels across the NHS.

Northgate Managed Services is to introduce its specialist ICT outsourcing solutions to the healthcare market in England. The company will showcase its comprehensive portfolio of ICT services - including the launch of its Virtual Desktop Infrastructure service to the market in England - at EHI Live 2012 at the NEC Birmingham.

Dr Ian Denley and Markus Bolton, founders and former directors of System C Healthcare, have set up a new company to provide growth capital and hands-on expertise to IT businesses in the health and social care sector. Shearwater Healthcare Solutions will invest in and develop innovative and entrepreneurial companies that can transform the delivery of care services in the UK.

Advanced Health & Care (Advanced) has announced the launch of iNurse on Android devices. Advanced was first to market with iNurse - a secure mobile patient management solution for community nurses - and is now leading the way by making the solution available on all Android devices, including Smartphones and tablets.

A new white paper, sponsored by Harris Healthcare, has been released which provides practical advice for NHS organisations looking to deploy clinical portals. The white paper, 'Write a sound business case to justify investment in a clinical portal', was written by Alison Clare, a freelance EPR programme manager who worked with the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust (RLBUHT) on the successful deployment of its clinical portal.