• ICB has had three CEOs in short period, and its chair resigned in March

An integrated care board CEO and long-serving NHS leader has announced he is retiring after six months away from the organisation.

Stephen Eames, who has been the boss at Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board since it was formed, made the announcement today. He will retire at the end of the month and said it was “time to bring in new leadership”.

He has previously been CEO of eight provider trusts, often leading major service changes and turnaround projects.

HSJ understands there have been concerns about leadership culture at the ICB.

The announcement comes after a period of upheaval among the board’s leadership. Former chair Sue Symington resigned suddenly earlier this year, while the commissioner had three chief executives in the space of five months.

Mr Eames’ absence from work since late last year has been described as “personal leave”. When he went off work, his role was filled on an acting basis by Amanda Bloor, the commissioner’s chief operating officer. However, Ms Bloor has subsequently also been off work, for which the ICB declined to provide any explanation.

Theresa Fenech, nursing and quality director, has been acting since April as its second interim CEO, the ICB confirmed.

The ICB advertised for an interim COO in early February, when Ms Bloor was acting CEO, to start the next month on a six-month contract, but no appointment appears to have been made. The ICB declined to say if the post had been recruited to.

A spokesperson also declined to say whether Mr Eames was on full pay during his time off work, as they did not comment on individual staff matters.

Mr Eames said: “I’ve been honoured and privileged to have spent my entire working life in the NHS, alongside some wonderful colleagues.

“As the NHS reforms and the renewed direction for ICBs become clearer as strategic commissioners, I feel that it’s time to bring in new leadership to shape and drive the ambition for the future. I have therefore taken the decision to retire.”

Mr Eames began his career in the NHS in 1973, later going on to lead trusts in London, the Midlands and the North. He became the lead of the Humber and North Yorkshire system in 2020, then took on the formal CEO role when ICBs were created in 2022.

Elsewhere in the system, Jonathan Lofthouse, CEO of the Humber Health Partnership trust group, has been off work for several months following a row with the trust’s chair.

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