Croydon NHS appoints new Joint Director of Strategy and Transformation
Today Croydon Health Services NHS Trust and NHS Croydon Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) are announcing a new Joint Director of Strategy and Transformation to lead the closer integration of health and care in Croydon.
Josh Potter is the new Joint Director of Strategy and Transformation, bringing more than 13 years of experience and insight to the role.
He is currently the Director of Commissioning for NHS Merton and Wandsworth Clinical Commissioning Groups, where he has led on the planning of child mental health services and a large-scale programme to transform and integrate community and primary care services, as well as hospital care. Josh was previously the Director of Integrated Commissioning at Tower Hamlets CCG and was responsible for delivering models of care for NHS England as forerunners for delivering more coordinated local health and care services.
Josh will join the new NHS leadership team in Croydon during November 2019.
Announcing the appointment, Matthew Kershaw, Trust Chief Executive and Place Based Leader for Health in Croydon said:
“Looking after the health and care of people in our borough is bigger than one public service alone. Building on the success of the One Croydon Alliance, we want to give people more joined up care and support. To do, this we need to give our talented and hardworking staff more opportunities to work collectively – making the most of the expertise and the workforce we have in Croydon, to care for Croydon.
“Josh brings impressive experience that will help us build on the improvements we have made across the borough. Croydon is leading the way in how the NHS is changing to meet the health needs of local people, with a growing array of examples of how we are connecting our services together to give our community more coordinated care.”
Dr Agnelo Fernandes, a local GP and Chair of NHS Croydon Clinical Commissioning Group, said:
“Increasingly we need to work collectively within Croydon, and collaboratively across the health and care system in South West London, to give people in our community the best care possible and greater support to improve their health. Our growing lists of joint services are already bringing real benefits to people in our borough. Josh’s extensive experience in Merton and Wandsworth CCGs will help us make further strides in our partnership working and I look forward to welcoming him to the team.”
The Living Independently For Everyone (LIFE), for example, blends social workers, community geriatricians, nurses, therapists and their shared health and social care expertise. Launched in as part of the One Croydon Alliance, the team has grown to more than 30 in two years. Their focus is supporting patients to improve their health and wellbeing, by maintaining their independence and staying active and social once they get back home.
Mike Bell, chairman of Croydon Health Services NHS Trust, said:
“The NHS has traditionally focused on caring for ill health, but as our population continues to grow older and larger, we do more to keep people well. This means putting their health needs before individual organisational priorities to join-up the care and support for people in the neighbourhoods in which they live.
“Josh will be integral in helping us to realise this vision as part of our new shared leadership team across the NHS in Croydon.”
Josh Potter, Joint Director of Strategy and Transformation, said:
“I am really excited about joining the team in Croydon. The borough’s award winning partnerships are making a real difference, and are at the forefront in taking forward the ambitions of the NHS Long Term Plan. There is a lot to be celebrated in Croydon, and a lot still to do. I cannot wait to get started.”
Matthew Kershaw was appointed as the substantive Trust Chief Executive and Place Based Leader for Health across the Trust and the CCG in July 2019, taking up the post fully from 1 October 2019. Other senior appoints include a Joint Chief Nurse, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer.
All aim to reduce duplication, speed-up decision making and free-up resources to support frontline clinical teams.
Profile of Josh Potter
Josh Potter is currently the Director of Commissioning for NHS Merton and Wandsworth Clinical Commissioning Groups. Here he has led on the merger of the borough’s two commissioning teams and supported the development of the local health and care plan across the NHS, local authorities and voluntary groups within the boroughs. Josh currently chairs the children and young peoples’ mental health commissioning collaborative across South West London to improve the provision of mental health services for children and young people. Previously he was the Director of Commissioning at Tower Hamlets CCG and has held a number of commissioning and improvement roles within the NHS in East London, including Newham University Hospital NHS Trust.