Senior NHS leader, Dr Neil Goodwin, to spearhead Caring Together Programme Board
A former chief executive in the English NHS has been appointed as independent chair of the new Caring Together Programme Board.
An experienced chair of public and private sector boards, Dr Neil Goodwin CBE will work across close to 30 organisations – providing the objective advice needed to meet Eastern Cheshire's health system challenges and the population's needs.
Dr Goodwin's role is crucial as the local health system will be around £140m in debt within three years unless it changes the way it works.
Dr Paul Bowen, chair of NHS Eastern Cheshire CCG, said: "Caring Together is a pioneering transformation programme that is meeting financial and service quality challenges by joining up health and social care for the 204,000 people of our area. This work is vital to the future health of our residents and sustainability of the local health economy.
"Dr Goodwin's independent, experienced leadership will ensure that the interests of patients and residents are put before those of single organisations."
Neil Goodwin said: "I'm delighted to have the opportunity to contribute to developing Eastern Cheshire's health and social care system at this challenging time. I hope my experience and independence will not only support local leaders in transforming services but also enhance the accessibility, quality and efficiency of services for patients, clients and staff."
Neil Goodwin is a Cheshire resident. He chairs the Symphony Housing Group, the largest registered social landlord in the North West, and Aintree University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in North Merseyside. Among his previous roles he has also chaired the London Cancer Alliance, an NHS membership-based alliance of 15 NHS organisations charged with improving cancer services to over five million people across London.
He was co-owner of GoodwinHannah Ltd, a leadership, strategy and organisational consultancy where he led the acquisition of hospitals, created academic health science centres in London and Merseyside, and devised leadership development frameworks for the English NHS. As chief executive of Manchester Health Authority and then Greater Manchester Strategic Health Authority, he led a number of strategic changes to health services that presaged the conurbation's Healthier Together programme.
He is a former visiting professor of leadership studies at Manchester Business School, and honorary professor at Durham University's School of Medicine and Health and University College London's Faculty of Medical Sciences.