The Chief Executive designate of the new NHS Integrated Care Board for Derby and Derbyshire has been announced following a robust national recruitment process.
Dr Chris Clayton, currently Chief Executive of NHS Derby and Derbyshire Clinical Commissioning Group, will take up the take up the post as soon as the Health and Care Bill receives Royal Assent, likely to be from April 2022.
John MacDonald, Independent Chair of Joined Up Care Derbyshire, and Chair Designate of NHS Derby and Derbyshire Integrated Care Board, said: "I am delighted that we are able to confirm Chris' appointment to this position. Many local stakeholders will already know Chris from his work as Chief Executive of NHS Derby and Derbyshire Clinical Commissioning Group since 2017, and as the executive lead for Joined Up Care Derbyshire since last year.
Chris therefore brings a vast knowledge of the local health and care system and local relationships into this new position, along with continuity to the work of our system ahead of the new Integrated Care Board being established subject to legislation in April 2022."
"The appointment of the Chief Executive designate also triggers the ability to recruit and appoint to other key roles within the Integrated Care Board to provide certainty and direction for the new organisation. Chris continues in his existing role with CCG until the time comes that the ICB can be formally established."
Dr Chris Clayton said: "I'm honoured to have been offered and accepted this role. We have a very firm foundation of partnership working across health, care and with other partners in Derby and Derbyshire. This foundation stands us in good stead to further support the health and wellbeing of local citizens the continued integration of services and support."
The Health and Care Bill 2021, which contains a series of measures to formally establish Integrated Care Systems (ICSs), is currently at the Parliamentary Committee Stage receiving a detailed examination following its second reading. The Bill will put ICSs on a firm statutory footing, empowering them to better join up health and care, improve population health and reduce health inequalities.
Each ICB will hold a substantial budget for commissioning high quality patient care and have the authority to establish performance arrangements to ensure this is delivered. The next step will be to recruit Non-Executive Members and Executive Directors to the ICB over the coming weeks ahead of the Board likely being established from April 2022.