'I'd like there to be a much more open and transparent culture in the NHS, in terms of information sharing,' says Frank Hester.Describe your role in one sentence. My role now is completely varied – from being a spokesperson for our vision of connected healthcare to working hands-on with our teams in the Leeds office, every day brings something different.
Why did you want to work in healthcare? I was inspired by my wife's work as a GP. She worked so hard to care for her patients yet I could see her constant struggle with the lack of connectivity and integration between NHS services.
How do you want to see the sector change in the next five years? I'd really like there to be a much more open and transparent culture in the NHS, in terms of information sharing, procurement and contracts.
My proudest achievement at work was ... being invited to be part of the trade mission to India with David Cameron earlier this year. We've been working alongside Healthcare UK to export SystmOne abroad.
The most difficult thing I've dealt with at work is ... managing to keep our small company values and culture despite growing very quickly.
The biggest challenge facing the NHS is ... achieving the digital strategy. The technology to make it happen is here now, but the NHS will have to make some necessary cultural changes.
The people I work with are ... unbelievably inspiring. We have very passionate, driven staff who are excited to come to work every day.
I do what I do because ... I'm one of those people who believes I can make a difference to the world and I now know our product has made that difference. I regularly meet the doctors and nurses who use SystmOne, and every time they tell me it makes their working lives easier, or has helped patient care, I know I'm still in the right job.
Sometimes people think that I ... am just the chief executive but in reality, I have a very hands-on approach to the company. At heart, I'm still a computer programmer and nothing gives me greater pleasure than sitting down with our software developers and getting to the heart of a technical problem.
Right now I want to ... make sure that we don't take our foot off the gas. We're accelerating at a very quick rate and sometimes that can be a little daunting.
At work I am always learning that ... communication is key. At TPP we have a very open culture and I'm constantly reminded that people working in teams, talking to each other, gets a better, faster result than someone struggling on their own.
The one thing always on my mind at work is ... remembering that everything we do is for the benefit of patients and health professionals.
If I could go back 10 years and meet my former self, I'd tell them ... not to worry about making mistakes. We're always learning and evolving, making mistakes is an inevitable part of developing and growing a product.
If I could meet my future self I'd expect them to be ... exhausted! My team works extremely hard and as a result I do, too, but I have no plans to slow down any time soon.
What is the best part of your job? Hearing stories about how SystmOne has saved someone's life. The amount of information available to clinicians is enormous, and having visibility of that data can drastically change the decisions that are made about how to care for a patient.
What is the worst part of your job? Hitting barriers created by bureaucracy. It's sometimes frustrating for people who are as creative and innovative as we are to wait around for endless processes to be implemented. The NHS is a wonderful thing, but it is bogged down by slow moving management.
What makes you smile? Sitting alongside my staff in the pub on a Friday night. I think the social side of working is extremely important, and, after a hard week at work, having a drink with my staff reminds me how lucky I am.
What keeps you awake at night? I've been a computer programmer for 33 years and I still get excited about how IT can improve the quality of our lives. I'd say the only thing that really keeps me awake at night is me looking forward to getting on with the next day!
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