ICB Chair

This is a fantastic opportunity to take on a significant leadership role in a high performing ICB, where you will have the opportunity to work with colleagues and partners committed to ensuring the people in our system live longer, healthier lives.

NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board (BLMK ICB) is responsible for the planning of NHS service delivery and resource allocation to achieve the system's strategic objectives and to improve the health of the population. We work with partners across the BLMK Integrated Care System (ICS) to improve outcomes in health and care. Working with our system partners, we focus on tackling inequalities in outcomes, experience and access; enhancing productivity and value for money; and helping all partners to support broader social and economic development.

Our Integrated Care System is made up of four Places - Bedford Borough; Central Bedfordshire; Milton Keynes and Luton. Each of these Places has its own unitary local authority and each differs in terms of population and health needs. Milton Keynes is a new city, with rich ethnic minority communities and a large rural area. Bedford Borough has both rural and urban areas with about two-thirds of the population living in the towns of Bedford and Kempston. Central Bedfordshire comprises of a mix of market towns and rural villages. Luton is a Marmot town with a plan, Luton 2040, designed to build a great town celebrating its diversity. In all our places we have the joint opportunity as partners to reduce the inequalities and variation in wellbeing.

As a system we have developed strong working relationships between our NHS, local authority, police, fire and VCSE partners. We have identified five strategic objectives, with an overarching goal to help people to live longer, healthier lives, as well as reducing inequalities across our populations. In BLMK, we are proud to be working with partners, local people, and communities to create a fairer health and care system for everyone. This comes following the publication of the landmark Denny Review in 2023, which was led by local Pastor and community leader, Reverend Lloyd Denny.

The ICB is working to deliver against the Denny Review recommendations which were co-designed with local residents and is working with partners across the system to deliver a movement for change. This includes working with the global leader for quality improvement, the Institute of Healthcare Improvement on an eighteen-month programme to reduce strokes and heart attacks in 'at risk' communities and review translation and interpretation services to ensure we deliver against the Accessible Information standard. Breaking down barriers for people for whom English is a second language.

As our ICB Chair you will have a deep interest and commitment to this agenda. We are looking to appoint a Chair who is committed to openness, transparency, and compassionate leadership. As a suitable candidate you will be an experienced Board level operator. You will have an outstanding track record of partnership working and influencing skills, with the ability to inspire confidence in key stakeholders at the highest levels across multiple organisations.

As Chair you will work closely with our CEO, offering appropriate support and challenge as required. You will ensure the Board fulfils its oversight and scrutiny responsibilities and maintains strong governance arrangements. You will support and develop the whole ICB Board, working with the team of non-executive members to create a constructive and accountable Board.

If you have the skills and experience required and feel aligned to our vision and values, then we welcome your application and look forward to meeting with you in due course.

The ICB is committed to ensuring its workforce reflects the broad diversity of the communities it serves, and we positively encourage applications from candidates of diverse backgrounds.

Put simply, we help our clients to recruit the best possible people to lead, manage and direct their organisations. Since launching in 2005 we have become an award winning, market-leading consultancy focusing on both public and private sector Healthcare recruitment.

Leadership skills have rarely been at such a premium - as organisations across both public and private sectors attempt to improve services and standards at a time of widespread change and unprecedented financial constraints.

Like other leading executive recruiters, Finegreen has developed a pool of talent built up over many years, along with established networks, to ensure that right-match candidates get to hear about relevant positions - sound pegs for rounds holes.

Where Finegreen differs from many others, is in its willingness to spend quality time with clients - to gain an in-depth knowledge of roles being filled and their importance to an organisation; and that goes for everyone from Chief Executive Neil Fineberg, Chairman and former NHS Confederation chief, Steve Barnett, and ex NHS Chief Executive John Rostill to other members of the Finegreen executive team.