NHS Professionals secures James Orr as Managing Director for fast growing division Doctors Direct

As part of their ongoing development strategy, NHS Professionals has appointed James Orr to take the helm of their growing business division, Doctors Direct. The securing of James for the top leadership role heralds yet another significant milestone for NHS Professionals ongoing transformational journey. This is being driven firmly forward by the board this year as they move steadily towards their ambitions to provide a fully comprehensive NHS staffing solution within the next three years.  

With over 20 years in the staffing industry, James’ most recent experience has been firmly focussed within the healthcare sector, where he successfully led a major change programme as UK Managing Director of Global Medics. During his 8 year tenure he successfully built the business, including the development of their sub-brand Doctors On Call, before leading the company to acquisition by the Medacs Global Group. For the past 18 months James has played a pivotal role as part of their senior management team, focussing on a variety of core workforce solutions across their global healthcare business.

Established in 2016, Doctors Direct was created in response to the burgeoning demand from NHS Professionals existing Hospital Trust clients for a quality NHS locum doctor staffing solution. For NHS Professionals, the vision was always to deliver a service that rivalled the calibre of their already highly successful core registered nurses staffing business. After three years of steadily building the Doctors Direct division a strong foundation is now in place to evolve towards that goal. The appointment of James Orr as Managing Director clearly demonstrates NHS Professional’s aim to rapidly achieve this, sending a clear signal of their ongoing commitment to ensure that Hospital Trusts’ have access to high quality, cost effective locum staffing services within the UK healthcare sector.

NHS Professional’s COO Nicola McQueen commented:

“With Doctors Direct forming a critical role in NHSP’s plans to continue to provide the best staffing solution for both the talented people we represent and the Hospital trusts we service, it was imperative we had the right person in place to build on the early successes we have already achieved. James has an exemplary track record of transformational change within the healthcare sector, not only in the UK but also globally. With our goal to fast-track Doctors Direct to sit firmly beside our core registered nurses staffing solution, James was the perfect candidate to take it to the next level. I’m excited to be working alongside him and to the opportunity that exists for us to drive added value in the services that we provide for both our Doctors and our Hospital Trusts, at the heart of which is to offer the best care under the best conditions. That’s our ambition for Doctors Direct and it’s a vision James and I, with our highly talented team, are determined to deliver for NHS Professionals.”

Future Managing Director of Doctors Direct James Orr shared his own views on the new role:

“The opportunity to join NHS Professionals at this key juncture is incredibly exciting. It is of course critical to me to be able to add significant and measurable value, but equally to be able to learn and grow within a role as well. From the very first meeting it was clear NHS Professionals were able to offer me everything I was looking for. The more I found out about the position, Doctors Direct and NHS Professional’s ambitions for it, the more it felt right for me and I was thrilled they too felt I was the right person for the job. The fact I have the privilege of working directly hand in hand with the NHS is simply icing on the cake. To play such an integral role in our national healthcare service, leading Doctors Direct as it secures its place as a primary staffing solutions provider under the NHS Professionals banner is highly motivating. I cannot wait to get started. It’s going to be an incredible journey and I’m excited to be part of it.”

NHS Professionals exists for the NHS. It’s an exciting healthcare staffing solution that is looking to expand its offering to a fully comprehensive one-stop-shop facility in the coming years. James Orr’s appointment as Managing Director of Doctors Direct is another significant win in their own recruitment efforts to fill key internal senior management roles, with individuals that have the expertise and successful track record required for the next stage of their transformational journey.