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NHS Kent and Medway is pleased to announce the appointment of Stephanie Elsy as its new chair; she takes up the role today (Monday, 12 October). 

Stephanie Elsy brings more than four decades of leadership experience across local government, the NHS, the voluntary sector and the private sector.

Most recently, she served as chair of NHS Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board, where she was responsible for a £2billion health and care budget serving more than one million residents.

During her tenure she led the establishment of the ICB, recruited its board and executive leadership team, brought together three predecessor CCGs, oversaw significant organisational transformation and worked closely with partners to address financial and performance challenges across the system.

Prior to this, Stephanie served as vice chair and non-executive director at Solent NHS Trust and chaired the Peninsula Acute Provider Collaborative. She has also spent more than a decade supporting NHS organisations through board development, strategy, governance and organisational improvement programmes. 

Stephanie's public service career includes senior leadership roles in local government, including serving as Leader of the London Borough of Southwark. During this period she led the successful transformation of the council's education services following a critical inspection, oversaw major regeneration and development programmes and developed extensive experience of working across complex political and public service environments.

Stephanie is already familiar with east Kent and the wider health and care system, having recently joined East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust as interim deputy chair and transformation lead. She is currently relocating to Kent, where members of her family already live.

 

Stephanie Elsy said: "I am absolutely delighted to be joining NHS Kent and Medway ICB as chair and cannot wait to get started. Throughout my discussions with colleagues across Kent and Medway I have been struck not only by the commitment and passion of the people working across the system, but also by the clarity of purpose and ambition for the future. There is a strong sense that Kent and Medway knows where it wants to go and has already established many of the foundations needed to get there.

“I have been particularly excited by the work underway to develop a more integrated and sustainable model of care through the four layers of care. The focus on supporting people to remain independent for longer, strengthening neighbourhood services, improving access to specialist care and ensuring that highly specialised services are available when needed provides a compelling vision for the future of health and care across Kent and Medway.

“I am equally encouraged by the organisation's emerging commissioning intentions and the ambition to move towards a more strategic, transformative approach to commissioning. The opportunity to use commissioning as a lever to improve outcomes, tackle health inequalities, drive innovation and ensure services are designed around the needs of local people is enormously exciting.

“Having worked across local government, the NHS, the voluntary sector and the private sector, I understand the importance of organisations coming together around a shared purpose. The challenges facing health and care are significant, but so too are the opportunities when partners work collectively in the interests of the populations they serve.

“Kent and Medway has a strong platform for the future, talented people, committed partners and a clear ambition to improve outcomes for local communities. I very much look forward to working alongside Adam, the board, staff, partners, local authorities and local people as we continue this journey together and deliver lasting improvements for the residents of Kent and Medway.”

 

Adam Doyle, Chief Executive Officer of NHS Kent and Medway ICB, said: "I am delighted that Stephanie will be joining us as chair. Stephanie brings an exceptional combination of NHS system leadership, governance expertise and partnership working experience. Most recently, she led Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board, where she oversaw a £2billion health and care budget serving more than one million people and led the establishment of the organisation, including recruitment of the Board and executive leadership team.

“Throughout her career she has built a strong reputation for leading complex organisations through periods of transformation, strengthening governance, bringing partners together and maintaining a clear focus on improving outcomes for local communities. Her experience and insight will be enormously valuable as we continue to deliver our ambitions for the people of Kent and Medway.  We are all very much looking forward to working with Stephanie and welcoming her into the organisation.

“I would also like to place on record my sincere thanks to Angela McNab for the outstanding support, commitment and leadership she has provided over the last six months. Angela has worked tirelessly during a period of significant organisational change, providing stability, wise counsel and unwavering support to both the board and the executive team. Her contribution has been greatly appreciated throughout Kent and Medway and I am delighted that we will continue to benefit from her experience and leadership as she returns to her role as vice chair.

“I very much look forward to continuing to work closely with Angela alongside Stephanie as we move into this next chapter for the organisation."