She replaces Ceri Evans, who joined BT Health in March and moves to a new director of strategy post. Both report to BT Health MD Peter O'Connell.

The National Programme for IT is a ten-year plan to modernise the NHS's ­computer systems. BT Health holds the contracts for ­creating the national ­database of patient records, installing the NHS's broadband network - known
as N3 - and connecting London-based sites to the ­system.

So far the telecoms giant has avoided most of the negative coverage surrounding the programme, although it hit the headlines earlier this year when a child-health computer system it designed was reported as being faulty.

Rossi - who has worked for BT for 18 years - joins from BT's industry analyst relations team, where she was group head of industry analyst relations for four years. She has been replaced by head of industry analyst relations Joanna Gluzman.

BT Group director of comms Peter Morgan said the appointments were ‘recognition of the importance of the project'.

He added that Rossi's remit would involve ‘spreading the word on the tremendous patient benefits that BT Health is helping the Government deliver'.

Before joining BT, Evans was director of comms at the Strategic Rail Authority from 2002 to 2005.

BT Global Financial Services - the financial extranet division that incorporates BT Radianz and BT Trading Systems - has taken on Financial Dynamics to build the brand's profile among decision makers in the US, UK and European business communities, after a competitive pitch.