NHS England seeks chief to ‘speak truth to power’

Sir Simon Stevens announced earlier this month that he would leave at the end of July, and NHSE said it hoped a replacement would be in place by then. The job specification published today asks for applications by 14 June and says final interviews will be carried out in the week beginning 19 July.

It is widely thought that government, particularly Number 10, will choose the new chief, although in legal terms the appointment is made by NHSE and subject to approval by the health secretary. The job spec says the interview panel will be chaired by NHSE chair Lord David Prior, and that the Department of Health and Social Care permanent secretary, Sir Chris Wormald, will be on the panel.

The most likely contenders for the job are all current NHS leaders and include Sir Simon’s number two at NHSE, Amanda Pritchard, but the organisation has said it wants to carry out a thorough international search. HSJ has listed some of the top overseas healthcare leaders whom head-hunters might look to speak to.

The job spec says candidates should have “a proven track record as a chief executive, leading a large complex organisation through transformational change, employing digital technologies and innovation”.

They should have “experience of the healthcare sector, or other complex consumer-facing environments; the capacity to deal effectively with multiple stakeholders, operating in a climate of ambiguity, with first-class communication skills, and the ability to speak truth to power [and] a track record of building high performing, inclusive teams and developing diverse talent”.

Sir Simon has earned a reputation for robust and sometimes public negotiation with government, particularly over funding for NHS services. However, the government is proposing legislation which may well curb the independence of NHSE and its new chief, and their ability to operate in that way.

The spec puts substantial emphasis on transformation of services with digital technology. Among four “key responsibilities” for the chief, it lists “drive digital innovation and transformation” across the NHS. The others are “lead the NHS system”, “lead the NHS England and NHS Improvement organisations” and “represent the NHS with stakeholders”.

Setting out the context, it says that through the pandemic the NHS has “undergone significant changes as staff have innovated and adapted to deal with covid-19, including a major acceleration towards greater system working and adoption of digital technology, which together have the potential to transform care”.

“The health service must retain and build on these beneficial changes in the years ahead, as it evolves to become population health based. The NHS is operating in a rapidly changing environment: the rise of an informed consumer, powered by digital adoption, where expectations of service and quality continue to increase significantly.

“This will drive a need to enhance materially the adaptability, digital transformation and data skills within all areas of the NHS if it is to succeed in meeting the needs of the patient, where expectations will be set by experiences in other industries.”