Former private healthcare boss chosen to chair integrated care board

A former leader of King’s College Hospital Foundation Trust is one of three new integrated care board chairs who have been selected in the South East.

Ian Smith, who was also previously executive chair of Four Seasons Health Care and chief executive of the General Healthcare Group, has been appointed chair of the Surrey Heartlands ICB. 

All ICB chairs have been announced as “chair designates” and will be confirmed pending the approval of the new health bill next year. 

Mr Smith was appointed interim chair of King’s in 2017, where he replaced Lord Kerslake shortly after the trust had been placed in financial special measures. He chaired the trust until 2019. 

Meanwhile, Stephen Lightfoot, chair of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, has been named chair designate for Sussex ICB. Mr Lightfoot, who has a background in the life sciences industry, has previously chaired Sussex Community FT.

Priya Singh, current chair of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations and deputy chair of Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation Trust, has been selected as chair designate for the Frimley integrated care board.

North Middlesex University Hospital Trust chair Cedi Frederick is chair designate for the Kent and Medway ICB. Mr Frederick, who is due to leave North Middlesex at the end of the month, has strong connections with Kent and was a governor at Canterbury Christchurch University for 2009-17 and was chief executive of a Kent-based social care provider. Last year he became co-chair of the national Black, Asian and minority ethnic advisory committee for the social care sector which reports to ministers. 

For the full list of chair designates, and systems yet to announce a chair, see HSJ’s map of ICS leadership.