Paul Bentley joins Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group as interim accountable officer from 17 January 2022.
In November 2021 Paul was confirmed as the Chief Executive designate of the NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board; which is due to replace the CCG subject to legislation proceeding through Parliament.
Dr Navin Kumta, GP and Clinical Chair of Kent and Medway CCG, welcomed Paul, saying: “Paul knows Kent and Medway well and brings his experience of leading an outstanding community trust to the CCG whilst we plan the final stages of the transition to an Integrated Care Board.”
Paul said: “With the Health and Care Bill delayed by a few months, the CCG has time to focus on the critical priority of supporting frontline health and care teams through the rest of the most challenging winter the NHS has seen.
“Continuing to increase vaccine levels for both Covid-19 and flu; and reducing the time and the number of patients who are waiting too long for treatments are our other key priorities. These are the things that will have an immediate impact on improving the health of the people we serve.
“Working together as a system is key and the co-ordination role that many teams across the CCG are playing is a vital part of that.
“The role in the CCG is a transitional one and part of shaping the new Integrated Care Board. The people of Kent and Medway deserve the very best health services and the role of the CCG in delivering these is clear, as is my responsibility as accountable officer. I am privileged to have been entrusted with the role at a time when the need for high quality health and social care has never been clearer.”
Thanking Wilf Williams for his work as CCG accountable officer and senior responsible officer for the Kent and Medway Integrated Care System, Dr Kumta said:
"Wilf returned to Kent and Medway in early 2020 and stepped straight into the pandemic preparations. It wasn’t something any of us had been expecting to dominate our work over the last two years; but Wilf embraced the challenge and has played a key role in leading the CCG and the system through the pandemic.
“Alongside the pandemic Wilf’s leadership has helped establish the single CCG as an effective Kent and Medway wide organisation and provided a strong foundation for the next stage of developing the Integrated Care Board and wider integrated care system.
“His approach has always been about building relationships and working together to find pragmatic solutions to complex problems and focussing on quality improvement in everything we do. His style of rolling up his sleeves and leading from the front to push forward things that deliver better outcomes for our population has been greatly appreciated. I know he’s been an inspiration and a friend to many in the CCG; and on behalf of the Governing Body and all our teams I’d like to thank him for everything he has helped us to achieve and to wish him the very best of luck on his future journey.
Find out more on the transition of the Clinical Commissioning Groups to an Integrated Care Board.
