ICB board

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Overview

The board is the key decision-making body of the ICB and became accountable for its activities from 1 July 2022.

Our statutory board members are:

• chair
• chief executive
• chief finance officer
• chief nursing officer
• chief medical officer
• chief people officer
• 4 non-executive members
• 1 other ordinary Member
• 1 primary medical services representative
• 1 NHS provider representative
• 1 mental health representative
• 1 council and local authority representative

View dates and meeting papers for our board meetings.

Meet our Board members

John Govett, chair

John was appointed as the ICB chair in Autumn 2021, having spent the previous 2 years as the independent chair of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly integrated care system (ICS) health and care systems board.

John has extensive leadership experience having been; NHS acute foundation trust deputy chair in Essex and as a non-executive director in a variety of industry sectors. For government, he has been the chief executive officer of the UK’s Money and Pensions Service and also been a group chief executive officer in the third (not-for-profit) sector, as well as managing director of Surrey County Council. He also has held board director appointments in the private sector and charity sector.

Kate Shields, chief executive officer

On 30 November 2021 Kate Shields was formally appointed as the inaugural designate chief executive officer for the ICB.

Kate was formerly NHS Kernow Clinical Commissioning Group’s accountable officer from August 2021 to June 2022.

Kate joined Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust as deputy chief executive in 2017 and took on the role of chief executive in July 2018. She is an experienced NHS leader having worked as director of strategy and partnerships at University Hospitals Leicester. She was a registered nurse and mental health nurse at the beginning of her NHS career. Kate has also worked for NHS England as a regional director of specialised commissioning and as the national head of specialised commissioning.

Kate is a mother of 3 and ‘borrows’ 2 others as part of a blended family. She has 2 grandchildren and a grand-dog and enjoys nothing better than lots of noise, lots of laughter and people around the table.

Sanj Srikanthan, non-executive member and vice chair of the Board
Chairs the finance, performance and commissioning committee and remuneration committee.
Board champion for sustainability and climate change

Sanj is ShelterBox Trust’s chief executive officer, a global humanitarian organisation based in Truro.

He was formerly the Europe senior vice president and executive director for the International Rescue Committee UK. He is currently chair of the Start Network, a group of international charities leading on decentralising how aid is delivered.

Sanj has previously worked in emergencies around the world including the Ebola response in Liberia, and the conflicts in Syria and Mali. Before working in international development, he was a Captain in the British Army.

Martin Sykes, non-executive member and senior independent director
Chairs the audit committee
Board champion for whistleblowing, conflicts of interest, research and innovation and emergency planning

Martin has extensive NHS experience, previously as the Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust director of finance and deputy chief executive. 

More recently he has been vice chair and non-executive director of NHS University Hospital Bristol and Weston Foundation Trust, where he chairs its finance and digital committee and sits on its audit committee.

Neil Walden, non-executive member
Chairs the integrated care areas committee, quality and pathways of care committee and primary care commissioning committee
Board champion for children, mental health and learning disabilities

Dr Neil Walden has enjoyed a long career as a GP in Cornwall, working as a partner in Marazion Surgery until his retirement from practice in 2019.

He is a passionate advocate of working in partnership with people, and listening to their experiences of care, understanding what’s important to them to solve problems and create solutions. Neil’s calm and considered leadership, clinical insight and experience has informed the way care is designed and delivered in west Cornwall. He achieves this by ensuring people remain at the heart of redesigns and plans, and challenges others to do the same. This has included bringing together the NHS, providers, patients, and the voluntary sector to co-design an integrated community health and care service in west Penwith.

Neil’s experience, understanding and appreciation of the importance of working in partnership with the voluntary sector will be a driving force in this new role.

He has been a clinical leader of the west integrated care area, and a member of the west Cornwall integrated care board. He was a locality lead GP and clinical director of Penwith’s primary care network and is chair of the Penwith integrated care public forum.

Neil has an excellent appreciation of the complexity attached to partnership arrangements in primary care networks working across Cornwall and will use this to ensure plans are patient-centred and informed by clinical evidence

Tarn Lamb, non-executive member
Chairs the PCCC and Workforce committee
Board champion for equality, diversity and inclusion and health inequalities

Tarn is an England committee member of the National Lottery Community Fund, and also the chief executive officer of Cornwall Neighbourhoods for Change.

Tarn has a depth of leadership, systems change and business development experience at both executive and in a variety of non-executive roles in the charity and social care sector. She is a champion of equity, diversity and inclusion with the skills to bring diverse audiences together to achieve shared community outcomes.

Nick Kaye,  Other Ordinary Board member, Board champion for children and adult safeguarding

Other Ordinary Board member, Chair of the ICB’s Personal Experience, Equity and Prevention Committee and member of the ICB’s Quality and Integrated Care Area Committees.

Nick is a third generation community pharmacist and also holds the position of Chair of the National Pharmacy Association since 2023 and is CEO of community pharmacy Cornwall.
In the past, Nick has also been a member of the European Pharmacist Forum and worked in General Practice between 2017-2022.  Nick is currently a shareholder in Hendra’s Pharmacy.

Andy Sant, primary care medical services representative

Andy is the managing director for the north and east integrated care area. Alongside this role he works clinically as a GP for Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust at Liskeard Hospital, specialising in the care of frail and older patients.

Before working in the ICS, Andy has held several executive level posts including the medical director of Livewell SouthWest and Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care Trust. He is an alumnus of the NHS Leadership Academy fast track executive programme which involved time at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, a post as associate medical director at Yeovil Hospital and a secondment to Crossrail Ltd in London.

Outside work Andy is a keen triathlete having completed Ironman UK in 2021 and continues to swim, bike, and run for pleasure. He is also an enthusiastic wildlife photographer.

Steve Williamson, NHS provider partner member

Steve joined Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust as chief executive in January 2022.

He has significant executive experience leading hospital and health services and has held senior roles in hospitals in Portsmouth, Southampton, South Tyneside and Australia. Steve’s most recent appointment was chief executive of Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service in Australia, a role he held for 5 years. In this role he was responsible for 12 hospitals and community health services across a region of 110,000 km2.

In Central Queensland Steve led the establishment of an innovative regional medical school education program and led the development of the region’s 10,000 lives program to address underlying health inequities.

Steve is passionate about delivering great quality regional and rural healthcare close to home and in working in partnership to achieve great outcomes. He has significant NHS senior leadership experience including his roles as chief operating officer and chief executive at South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust. Steve also worked at a senior level at University Hospitals Southampton NHS Foundation Trust where he was responsible for regional specialist cardiac surgery, neurosurgery, major trauma centre and other specialist services.

Debbie Richards, mental health partner member

Debbie took up post as chief executive of Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust in October 2021.

Originally from Cornwall, Debbie returned to Cornwall from Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust where she was executive managing director of mental health, learning disability and autism services and executive lead for provider collaboratives.

Debbie has many years of senior level experience in clinical service delivery in mental health, community services and acute NHS trusts and in health and care commissioning and transformation. She began her career in Cornwall as a probation service officer before leaving the county to train as a social worker.

Alison Bulman, council and local authority partner member

Ali is the Strategic Director for Care & Wellbeing in Cornwall Council and the statutory Director of Adult Social Services (DASS).  Ali has worked in Adult Social Care in various roles for over 30 years and has experience of driving significant improvement in services and outcomes for residents.  Ali is the Local Authority member of the Integrated Care Board and is a key strategic leader across the Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Integrated Care System.

Simon Gittoes-Davies, chief finance officer and senior information risk officer

Simon is a qualified accountant starting out originally in the private sector and over the last 30 years working with the NHS.

Following 8 years as a substantive finance director, he has worked both as an interim director of finance across all NHS sectors and in roles including programme director and financial recovery director for a number of NHS organisations. He has also worked on financial strategy and change programmes and more recently as an acute hospital director of finance, and as programme director for NHS England leading the national programme to reduce the cost of specialised high-cost devices.

Simon has a strong philosophy and belief in people being the key to organisational success and in the core value of the NHS in caring for our population.

He has 2 teenage children who keep him busy and loves to get out on a long bike ride including some across the UK and Europe.

Susan Bracefield, chief nursing officer

Information coming soon.

Chris Reid, chief medical officer

It’s great to join the team as chief medical officer.

Originally from the North East, I spent the first part of my career as a medical officer with the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. On leaving the service I have been a GP partner in Dorset and then New Zealand where I also held various leadership and governance roles with Northland District Health Board and The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners. For the last 3 years I have enjoyed working as a GP in Cornwall and when time allows some photography and windsurfing.

Patrick Weir, chief people officer

Patrick joined the Integrated Care Board at its formation in 2022, moving from Cornwall Council where he was Head of People and Change. Patrick has previously held senior roles in HR, organisational change and community development in local government, and has extensive experience of organisation and service design.

As well as corporate roles, he has worked in and with local communities on service innovation, resident participation and community health and wellbeing, and is passionate about the opportunities of good service design and great engagement to secure better outcomes for people, and more satisfying working lives. 

Patrick lives with his family in Falmouth and loves to get out in the open air. 

Board participants

• Company Secretary – to be confirmed
• Director of strategy planning and corporate affairs, Carolyn Andrews
• Chief information officer and system digital lead, Kelvyn Hipperson
• Non-executive provider – RCHT, Mairi McLean
• Non-executive provider – CFT, Margaret Schwarz
• VCSF Community sector chief executive officer, Emma Rowse
• Director of public health, Rachel Wigglesworth
• Council for Isles of Scilly Council chief executive officer, Russell Ashman
• NHS Devon Integrated Care Board chief executive officer, Steve Moore
• Healthwatch Cornwall, Debbie Gilbert

Board attendees

• Local Medical Committee chief executive officer, Emma Rigdewell-Howard
• South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, Neil Lentern
• Community partners in care chair, Mary Anson
• ICB Director of engagement and communications, Lucy Tuson
• South West NHS England regional director of commissioning, Rachel Pearce
• GP collaborative Chair, Stewart Smith
• Pharmacy representative, Drew Creek
• Optometry representative, Jonathan Eva
• Dentistry representative – to be confirmed

Nominated deputies

Our constitution allows board members to nominate deputies if they cannot take part in a meeting. Participants and attendees can also nominate a deputy. The integrated care board (ICB) chair must agree any nominated deputies. We keep a list of the agreed deputies.