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NHSE appoints ex-Tory adviser as strategy director

Published on: 13 Jan 2025
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NHS England has hired a former adviser to Jeremy Hunt and Sir Sajid Javid as its strategy director.

Adam Memon joined NHS England a year ago as director of demand insights. He has now been appointed as strategy director, reporting to chief strategy officer Chris Hopson.

Mr Memon was previously a special adviser to Sir Sajid during his time as chancellor and his tenure as health and social care secretary from 2021-22. During that time, the secretary of state indicated his desire to nationalise GP employment and create “reform trusts” to deal with poor performers. 

Mr Memon subsequently served two years as a special economic adviser to Jeremy Hunt when he was chancellor.

Before entering government, Mr Memon worked at the Competition and Markets Authority, including as director of economic policy, and for the Conservative party as research director. 

A big focus of the ex-adviser’s work at NHSE so far has been spent exploring the health service’s role in reducing the number of people not working due to illness. Prevention and other relevant health intervention initiatives have been a priority of both the previous and current governments.

The advert for the NHSE strategy director role said it would entail “supporting the NHSE chief executive and the board to develop medium- and long-term NHS strategy”, with “an immediate focus on working with developing, and then operationalising, the 10-year plan for health”.

The government’s plan is being developed by the Department of Health and Social Care’s “system strategy unit”, and is expected to be published in June.

The previous NHSE strategy director, Ben Jupp, moved last month to become director of intermediate care and rehabilitation.

NHSE’s director of strategic finance, Ed Waller, is due to leave in the spring to join Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board.