Former health minister to chair major teaching trust

Lord David Prior is to take over as chair of University College London Hospitals Foundation Trust in January.

The peer was minister for NHS productivity from May to December 2016 and previously chaired the Care Quality Commission.

Before that he was chair of Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital Foundation Trust.

Lord Prior will be stepping down from his role as a minister in the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to take the role.

He replaces Richard Murley as chair, whose term began in 2010.

Lord Prior said: “I am delighted and feel very honoured to be joining UCLH. It provides not only outstanding secondary and tertiary care but also world class medical research and medical education.

“The future could hardly be more fascinating: greater integration of social, primary and secondary care; gene and cell therapies enabling personalised medicine; digitisation; the impact of artificial intelligence, big data and machine learning; much earlier diagnostics and prevention of chronic disease; and electronic patient records to name just a few of the forces that will affect the way we deliver care over the next 20 years.

“These are exciting times and UCLH is uniquely positioned to help lead these changes in the NHS.”

Mr Murley said: ”David is a great appointment for UCLH and will provide the leadership we need during a period of unprecedented demand on NHS services and a tough climate for public spending. I have been privileged to be part of this great institution during a time of enormous progress. I am quite sure that David will take it on to even greater heights.”