Publish date: 7 February 2022
Recruitment to key senior positions in NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board (ICB) continues.
Following a robust process, the Health and Care Partnership has made a number of exciting, high-profile appointments to provide the strategic leadership of the ICB, which have now be confirmed. These appointments are made subject to the passage of the Health and Care Bill through parliament, which aims to establish the ICB as a statutory body from 1 July 2022.
Medical Director
Professor Rowan Pritchard-Jones will join as Medical Director. He is currently Medical Director at St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and brings extensive academic experience, as well as his clinical and leadership expertise. Rowan trained in Bristol as a plastic reconstructive surgeon with a special interest in skin cancer. He has worked all over the world, earning his Fellowship in the United States and working with the US Army Trauma Team. He has performed cleft reconstruction in the Nepalese Himalayas and served as a British Military Surgeon.
Associate Medical Director
Dr Fiona Lemmens will join the ICB as Associate Medical Director. Fiona is a GP in Liverpool and is currently Chair of the Governing Body of Liverpool Clinical Commissioning Group. Fiona has also been strategic clinical lead for Cheshire and Merseyside’s elective recovery programme and has led the Covid vaccination programme across Liverpool.
Director of Finance
Claire Wilson, who is currently Chief Finance Officer at Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, has been appointed Director of Finance. Having started her career as an NHS finance graduate trainee, Claire has also held the role of Chief Finance Officer at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, as well as working at NHS England. She has held roles at local, regional and national level. Claire is Vice President of the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) and will take up the role of President of the association in 2024.
Assistant Chief Executive
Clare Watson, currently Accountable Officer at Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group, has been confirmed as Assistant Chief Executive. Clare has been in Cheshire since 2017, first as Interim Accountable Officer at NHS South Cheshire CCG and NHS Vale Royal CCG, and then as Accountable Officer of the merged Cheshire CCG since 2019. With more than 25 years’ NHS experience, Clare has a clear focus on integration and partnership working. Clare has a passion for commissioning based on holistic health and wellbeing, making a real difference to local populations.
Chief People Officer
Chris Samosa has been appointed to this role. Many of you will be familiar with Chris, who has worked within Cheshire and Merseyside Health Care Partnership for the last two years. She has spent her whole career in organisations across Cheshire and Merseyside and brings 30 years’ director-level experience.
Chief Digital Information Officer
Alex Chaplin will be the Chief Digital Information Officer of the ICB following his appointment to the Health and Care Partnership last October. Alex brings considerable experience, having held a number of executive and national roles, including National Delivery Director for Provider Digitisation, Digital Diagnostics and SRO for National Programme for IT since 2016. Alex has also led mental health services in Lancashire and was formally Executive Director for Global Business Services at the British Council.
Director of Nursing and Care
The recruitment process for a permanent appointment continues. Until a substantive appointment has been made, Marie Boles has agreed to be the interim Chief Nurse for the ICS. Marie has worked as a nurse in the NHS for 38 years and has undertaken a variety of senior roles in the NHS, local authorities and commissioning. Marie has previously worked for NHS England in Greater Manchester and was also the Deputy Chief Nurse for the North Region. For the last two years, Marie has been the Director of Nursing for NHS England and Improvement but has worked with the Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership as Nurse Advisor to the Executive Team. We are also delighted that Professor Maggie Boyd has agreed to support the ICS with her strategic and professional expertise. Maggie Boyd has more than 40 years of NHS experience in clinical and leadership roles and has worked as a Regional Director in NHS Improvement with regulatory experience and particularly oversight of quality governance and leadership.
Ongoing recruitment
The ICB are continuing the process to recruit to the key positions of Place Directors, and Director of Performance and Planning. Interviews for these positions will take place later this month. The role of Director of Communications and Empowerment is to be re-advertised.
NHS England and Improvement is leading the recruitment for our Chair and the closing date for this role has just passed. Interviews will take place soon.
To enable a successful transition, some will start to pick up a number of duties in advance of the 1 July start date.