NHSE finally appoints regional director after months of sign-off delay

Royal Free London Foundation Trust chief executive Caroline Clarke was today announced as the new head of NHS England London.

HSJ understands she was interviewed for the role in November but the formal approval has been sat with the Department of Health and Social Care since then.

Ms Clarke will take up her post immediately, NHSE said.

NHSE has been trying to appoint a permanent successor to the London regional director role since 2021.

Former North Central London Clinical Commissioning Group chief executive Helen Pettersen has led the region as interim since the departure of Andrew Ridley at the end of 2022.

Mr Ridley had also been in the role on an interim basis, serving in the post since another former Royal Free boss Sir David Sloman left the role to be NHSE’s chief operating officer in December 2021. 

The Royal Free’s interim chief executive will be Pete Landstrom, who joined the trust as group chief delivery officer in April 2022. He previously led the takeover of Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals Trust by neighbouring Western Sussex Hospitals FT in 2021.

Two other hospital leaders in London were linked with the top job at the Royal Free, which also runs a group model, incorporating North Middlesex University Hospital Trust and West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals Trust.

Ms Clarke was also appointed accountable officer for North Middlesex University Hospital in April 2021, with Nnenna Osuji as chief executive -  but NMUH this afternoon confirmed that Dr Osuji had been made interim accountable officer at the organisation on April 6 2023.

The Royal Free took over the ailing Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals Trust in 2014 and has subsequently had significant problems with its elective waiting lists.

Ms Clarke joined the Royal Free as chief finance officer in 2011. Former Royal Free medical director Chris Streather is the interim medical director for London and his predecessor at the trust Stephen Powis is NHSE medical director. 

NHSE chief executive Amanda Pritchard said: “Caroline’s NHS experience and leadership will be a major asset, working closely with our partners to deliver London’s ambition to be the healthiest global city and the best city in which to receive health and care services, and to tackle issues that cause poor health and health inequalities. She will play a key role as part of NHSE’s executive group in supporting the NHS country-wide to deliver better outcomes for our patients and communities.”

Ms Clarke said that while the capital was “a global player” in healthcare, its population faced some of the starkest inequalities anywhere in the country.

She said in a statement: “In recent years we’ve seen the capital’s health and care teams implement a wide range of models that bring care closer to people’s homes and reduce avoidable appointments and admissions. We have an opportunity to spread these further, collaboratively, for the benefit of all Londoners.

“London’s NHS is full of talented, committed professionals and I look forward to working with colleagues on our ambition to make London the healthiest global city.”

The “healthiest global city” ambition was mentioned in the never-published NHSE document that HSJ revealed in May 2020, but it is not clear what the region’s policy will be on other ambitions it mentioned, including decisions from the centre on the location of cancer, paediatric, renal, cardiac, and neurosurgical services.