Narissa Leyland

Narissa is a delegate for NHS England’s Data and Analytics representative for the Advisory Group for Data (AGD).

Narissa currently serves as Head of Data Governance and Assurance in the data and analytics sub-directorate, where she is responsible for the strategic direction and implementation of the data access governance and assurance framework to encompass the complexities of modern healthcare systems and government mandates.

Narissa has drafted national health data policies on the subject of information governance. She has been instrumental in developing and revising frameworks for information governance that align with both NHS and government standards, including the NHS Act 2006 and the Control of Patient Information Regulations 2002. Narissa has engaged in pivotal roles across various committees and working groups. Influencing national policies and practices on information governance and actively participated in the development of sector-wide data management and information governance standards, advocating for robust, ethical practices in data usage across the health service.

She has previously held roles as data protection officer and head of information governance within  NHS organisations, managing  comprehensive information governance strategies and data protection frameworks. Originally trained within the administrative and legal aspects of healthcare before transitioning into roles focusing on information governance and data protection. She holds a Masters in Business Administration and is a certified General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) practitioner, with additional qualifications in data protection and information risk management from the British Computer Society (BCS).