Chief executive appointed to lead county's health system

Simon Whitehouse has been named interim chief executive designate of the Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care Board (ICB) – one of two bodies that together will make up the new Integrated Care System (ICS) when it becomes a statutory body from April 1 next year.

Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Sustainable Transformation Partnership became an ICS in April this year.

It involves NHS organisations partnering with local authorities and other organisations to take collective responsibility for managing resources and delivering NHS care.

Simon will take up his new post from January 1, 2022 but will be active in the system before Christmas.

He will succeed Mark Brandreth in the role, however Mark will remain as interim accountable officer of the Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) until it ceases to exist at midnight on March 31, 2022.

He has worked in the NHS for over 20 years in several roles throughout this time.

He graduated as a physiotherapist from Keele University in 1995, having trained at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital near Oswestry.

Having worked clinically for several years, he went to work for the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy in its employment relations team and worked nationally on the introduction of the NHS Agenda for Change Pay System, prior to moving into more senior management roles.

More recently, he was chief executive of two of the Cheshire clinical commissioning groups, before joining the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICS as its director in June 2017.

Simon said: “I am delighted to have been appointed the interim chief executive designate of the Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin ICB at this really important time.

"Having undertaken my physiotherapy training at RJAH, I have always had an affinity towards the area, and I am looking forward to working closely with colleagues across the local health and care system.

“Whilst I’m fully aware of the scale of our challenges, I am confident in the talent, skill, professionalism and commitment here in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin.”

Sir Neil McKay, independent chair of the Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin ICS, said:“I am delighted that we have managed to attract someone of Simon’s calibre to lead our system and to build on the good work already done by Mark Brandreth in recent months.

“He is an experienced, talented and hard-working leader who will be able to hit the ground running immediately as we enter what is such a pivotal period for health and care services in Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin.

“He is someone I know well, having worked closely with him during my time in the Staffordshire system.

"We have a fantastic opportunity now to make significant strides in giving our communities the services they deserve and need. I am sure that in Simon, we have the right person at the helm to realise this opportunity.”