The NHS Commissioning Board Authority has announced the appointment of the four Regional Directors in the Operations Directorate.

• Regional Director, North of England
  Richard Barker
  currently Chief Operating Officer, NHS North of England
• Regional Director, Midlands and the East
  Dr Paul Watson
  currently Chief Executive, NHS Suffolk
• Regional Director, London
  Dr Anne Rainsberry
  currently Chief Executive, NHS North West London and Deputy Chief Executive, NHS London
• Regional Director, South of England
  Andrea Young
  currently Chief Operating Officer / Deputy Chief Executive, NHS South of England

Ian Dalton, Chief Operating Officer of the NHS Commissioning Board Authority, said:

“We had an extremely strong field of candidates. I’m delighted that we have four, highly skilled Regional Directors each with a strong track record of achievements. This equips us with outstanding leadership to work with clinical commissioning groups and partners to ensure we have a strong and innovative commissioning system that improves outcomes for patients. It also enables us to finalise the design of the regional and local presence of the NHS Commissioning Board.”

The four Regional Directors will be part of the senior leadership team of the Operations Directorate, reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer and working closely with the Director of NHS Operations and Performance and Director of NHS Direct Commissioning and Commissioning Assurance.

The Regional Directors will provide strategic leadership for the NHS Commissioning Board across the region, including co-ordination and oversight of local area teams.

The Regional Directors’ first key task is to work with Primary Care Trusts, Strategic Health Authorities and other stakeholders to co-design a proposal for the final model of the Commissioning Board’s network of Local Area Teams.

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