Council boss made senior DHSC mandarin

A city council chief executive who once sought to run NHS England has been appointed as the second permanent secretary at the Department of Health and Social Care.

Tom Riordan has been appointed to the post, having spent 14 years as chief executive of Leeds City Council.

As CEO he championed councils’ role in public health and health improvement and played a big role in health and social care integration in West Yorkshire. In 2021 he applied to succeed Sir Simon Stevens as chief executive of NHS England.

He will take up the role at DHSC on 23 September, replacing Shona Dunn who left in June this year to become CEO of the St John Ambulance charity.

Some believe Sir Chris Wormald, who has served eight years as DHSC permanent secretary, is likely to retire from the role soon. 

Mr Riordan also spent three months in 2020 as a senior leader at NHS Test and Trace on secondment. During the 2000s he ran the Yorkshire Forward economic development agency, and earlier in his career, he was a civil servant in the Westminster government.

Health and social care secretary Wes Streeting said Mr Riordan “is a proven public service reformer with extensive experience in health and social care system transformation and preventative healthcare.

“His experience will be invaluable as we deliver the mission of this government to build an NHS and social care system fit for the future.”