Chief Executive confirmed for the BNSSG Integrated Care Board

Shane Devlin has today (Friday, 12 November 2021) been announced as the Chief Executive designate of the new Integrated Care Board (ICB) for Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.

The new statutory body will form part of the wider Integrated Care System (ICS) for the area, known as the Healthier Together Partnership. Shane will be responsible for overseeing complex services and population health improvement programmes for a population of just over 1 million people.

The appointment follows a nationally run competitive process to secure Chief Executives for ICBs across England, ahead of the bodies coming into being in April 2022. Shane has been Chief Executive of the Southern Health and Social Care Trust, Northern Ireland, since March 2018, and was previously Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service. Shane will be relocating to the area, and takes up his new role early next year.

Speaking about his appointment, Shane said:

“It’s a real privilege to be taking on this role as Integrated Care Systems progress towards statutory status. It’s clear that fantastic work is going on across the whole health and care system. The importance placed on partnership and collaboration is evident from the conversations I’ve had so far. I’m really looking forward to getting started and to hearing from a range of people – citizens, colleagues and communities – on how we can build on this foundation and secure a vibrant and sustainable future for services.”

Jeff Farrar, Chair-designate of the Integrated Care System for Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire, said:

“We are delighted to be benefiting from Shane’s considerable skill and experience. He brings a wealth of leadership expertise from previous healthcare roles and a deep commitment to public service. We have big ambitions as Healthier Together, and with the further development of Integrated Care Systems, a huge opportunity to improve the health and wellbeing of everyone in our area. Shane shares these ambitions and I know will be a real asset to the Partnership as we enter this next exciting phase.

“As we commence the transition process, it is important to recognise and thank our current Co-Executive leads, Julia Ross (Chief Executive of the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group) and Robert Woolley (Chief Executive of University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust), who have jointly led the Partnership since 2018, creating a solid foundation for this next stage of system development.”

A Health and Care Bill that will put Integrated Care Systems on a statutory footing – to be comprised of new Integrated Care Boards and a wider Integrated Care Partnership – is currently progressing through Parliament. Like every organisation of its kind in the country, the BNSSG Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) will be dissolved, with the vast majority of staff transferring across to the new organisation.

The changes are set to commence from April 2022 and are designed to accelerate the progress made in recent years to better integrate health and care services around people’s needs.