New NHS chief exec appointed
The head of the NHS in London, David Nicholson, has today been named as the new chief executive of the whole of the health service in England and Wales.
Unions welcomed his appointment, saying that with years of experience behind him, he “understands” the public ethos of the NHS and will have the confidence of staff.
The father-of-two takes over from Nigel Crisp, who left in March and who was widely seen as a scapegoat for more than £500 million deficits currently facing the NHS.
“With 25 years of experience under his belt, David is passionately committed to NHS values and has a proven track record of leading improvement and reforms that benefit patients,” said health secretary Patricia Hewitt.
“David is taking up the reins at an exciting time.[his] challenge is to ensure that the NHS continues to achieve even better results for patients, while restoring financial balance.”
Sir Nigel was the first person to hold the joint posts of chief executive as well as permanent secretary to the Department of Health, but the jobs were separated following his departure, with Hugh Taylor taking over as the department’s top civil servant.
Ian Curruthers has been acting chief executive in the interim. He will hand over to Mr Nicholson, who was head of Birmingham and the Black Country strategic health authority before his time at NHS London, from September.
The NHS will have an annual budget of £90 billion by 2008 and has 1.3 million employees, while it is currently in the throes of major reforms in the way services are delivered, paid for and how trusts must manage their affairs.
Mr Nicholson said the job as chief executive was a “fantastic opportunity and a great privilege”, and made clear his determination to press ahead with the second half of the government’s ten-year plan of reform.
“I am proud of the NHS and its staff, and proud of what it represents to the public. It is vital that if the NHS is to continue to meet what the public expects, it continues to reform,” he said.
“This is a pivotal time for the health service. We must retain its founding ethos while adopting new and innovative ways of working for patients. I look forward to leading that process.”
Karen Jennings, head of health at public service union Unison, welcomed Mr Nicholson’s appointment, saying he brought to the job “the necessary understanding of the challenges facing the NHS”.
“As an internal candidate he will have the confidence of staff and trade unions and be able to hit the ground running,” she said.
The Royal College of Nursing’s (RCN’s) general secretary, Beverley Malone added: “We believe that, in David Nicholson, we have a chief executive who knows, understands and values the NHS, its public sector ethos and its staff.”
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