We’re delighted to welcome Andy Brett to SCFH as a Partner, as we grow our leadership team and expand our work in digital health.
We caught up with Andy to talk about his career to date, his new role and his thoughts on digital health. Discover more about his journey and the depth of experience he brings to SCFH.
Andy. Tell us about your career journey?
I began my career as a software engineer, developing monitoring and control systems for fibre optic submarine telecommunications cables – critical infrastructure connecting countries across the globe. That early experience exposed me to complex, high-reliability systems and gave me the opportunity to work internationally, delivering installations and training across multiple countries.
I later moved into solution architecture and delivery, leading the design, integration and implementation of large-scale call centre platforms, including telephony and CRM systems, across financial services, automotive and telecommunications sectors. This broadened my experience of delivering customer-centric systems at scale, working across Europe and the US.
My transition into healthcare came through the National Programme for IT, where I spent five years contributing to one of the NHS’ most ambitious digital transformation programmes. That marked a turning point in my career, and I’ve now spent over 20 years working across health and care.
Since then, I’ve worked both within organisations and as an advisor, providing strategic, architectural and technical leadership to a wide range of health and care providers in the UK and internationally. This has included major digital transformation initiatives and several international new hospital programmes, most recently contributing to the NHS New Hospital Programme, where the focus is on embedding digital at the heart of future healthcare delivery.
What’s a project you’re especially proud of and why?
My ongoing involvement in large-scale new hospital programmes stands out, particularly through the NHS New Hospital Programme. What makes this work so meaningful is the opportunity to embed digital from the ground up, not as an add-on but as a core part of how hospitals are designed and operated.
This involves working across clinical, operational and estates teams to define requirements, align stakeholders, and ensure digital infrastructure and data capabilities are considered from the outset.
These programmes are inherently complex, bringing together multiple organisations, disciplines and priorities. Helping to navigate that complexity and translate strategic ambition into something practical and deliverable is particularly rewarding. Essentially putting digital at the heart of future healthcare, creating environments that are better connected, more efficient and better equipped to support both patients and staff.
What are you most looking forward to about joining SCFH as a Partner?
Having known several members of the team for many years, I’ve seen first-hand the impact SCFH is making across the health and care sector. I’m excited to build on those strong foundations, scaling the work, shaping new opportunities, and delivering meaningful outcomes for clients.
What sets SCFH apart?
It comes down to the people. There’s a clear, shared commitment to client engagement and delivery, not just getting the job done, but achieving the best possible outcomes for the organisations we work with.
What are the biggest opportunities for innovation in digital health?
One of the biggest opportunities is still getting the fundamentals right, particularly integration, interoperability and effective data management. Too often, organisations attempt to innovate on top of fragmented systems and inconsistent data, which limits the impact of new technologies.
Treating data as a true strategic asset, with the right governance and standards is a critical foundation, and one that many organisations are still developing.
At the same time, there is significant opportunity to apply AI in ways that support, rather than replace, day-to-day activities. While much of the focus is on clinical use cases, there is growing potential in operational areas such as estates and facilities management, especially as healthcare environments become more connected and intelligent.
Ultimately, the real opportunity lies in creating joined-up, data-driven environments where technology enhances both care delivery and how healthcare organisations operate behind the scenes.
What’s a trend people aren’t talking about enough?
One of the most overlooked challenges is the gap between digital ambition and the reality of delivery. Many organisations have clear strategies and bold aspirations, but lack the capability, capacity or maturity to translate them into sustained change.
This gap is even more evident beyond core clinical systems, particularly in estates and facilities management, where digital maturity is often lower but the opportunity is significant. As healthcare environments become more connected and data-rich, the built environment itself is generating valuable operational data, yet many organisations aren’t set up to fully utilise it.
Closing this gap, through skills, governance and a more integrated approach to data, is where much of the real opportunity lies. Organisations that can bridge ambition with practical delivery across both clinical and operational domains will see the greatest impact.
What motivates you on a tough day?
Taking a step back and focusing on the bigger picture helps. Breaking challenges down into manageable steps with the team, and finding small wins along the way, keeps momentum going. In healthcare, even small improvements can make a meaningful difference to patients, staff and services.
What’s a skill you’d love to master outside of work?
Having worked internationally over the years, I’d love to become fluent in another language.
What’s your go-to-way to unwind after a busy week?
In a word: exercise. I do resistance training three times a week, complemented by swimming and cycling at the weekend (weather permitting). Rest and recovery days are just as important too.
