Kelsey will take up the role as national director for patients and information at the authority, bolstered by previous experience with the NHS, as he was responsible for designing and launching NHS choices, the online NHS information service.

"As a new organisation, we have a huge opportunity to be truly patient-focused and clinically-led and work in new and innovative ways to deliver real improvements in patient outcomes and experience," Kelsey said.

The new authority will be established as an executive non-departmental public body in October 2012.

Kelsey has only been in his role as transparency and open data executive in the Cabinet Office's Efficiency and Reform Group (ERG) since January, joining from consultancy McKinsey & Co.

He is a former journalist who co-founded Dr Foster, an organisation that transformed transparency in the NHS by providing comparative information on health and social care services.