Three CCGs appoint joint chief

Andy Williams, currently at Sandwell and West Birmingham CCG, will take up the role of chief executive once a start date has been agreed.

Mr Williams has commissioning experience in England and Wales and has led Sandwell and West Birmingham CCG since its inception in 2013.

Mr Williams said: “It is clear to me that there is already much fantastic work taking place across the three CCGs and within the system as a whole, and I believe there is a real opportunity to help LLR move forwards and become one of the best integrated care systems in the country.”

Speaking on behalf of the three CCGs in LLR, Mayur Lakhani, chair of West Leicestershire CCG, added: “Mr Williams is clearly an exceptional leader with a real clarity of vision and commitment to continued improvement across the organisations that he has led with such distinction.”

Last year, proposals by the three CCGs in Leicestershire and Rutland to appoint a joint chief stalled due to concerns about the ability of a single accountable officer to meet the needs of different patients.

In a joint governing board paper, the chief executives of Leicester City, West Leicestershire, and East Leicestershire and Rutland CCGs said a review of the “relative merits of a merger” would take place in early 2019, with an “options appraisal” to the three boards in mid-2019.

However, the outcome of the discussions have yet to be published.