Leading Roles
An integrated care system cannot exist without staff involvement and engagement at all levels of each health and care provider, or without the voices and views of patients and carers. In that sense, everyone needs to be involved in setting priorities and shaping the services available to improve health outcomes and access to high quality care. More information about what we’re doing to engage and involve people is available on the get involved page.
Below, we provide more detail about who’s taking a lead role in assisting this journey through providing co-ordination and context for the required changes.
Alan Foster
Alan is leading the development of an integrated care system for the north east and north Cumbria, working closely with health and care leaders in the region. Born in County Durham, Alan is committed to improving services and the quality of life for people in the region and has a strong track record in the NHS.
He says the region’s journey to becoming an integrated care system will release huge benefits for patients, staff and organisations:
“The absolutely overarching purpose of our ICS is to improve health outcomes for everyone living and working in our area and for health and care services to better manage our ‘here and now’ operational challenges to achieve sustainability.
“Obviously, there are a lot of challenges and opportunities with this and it’s only by working across organisational boundaries to agree joint priorities and sharing resources that we can achieve this in the best possible way.
“We must do things at the right level, in the right way and involving the right partners – both in planning what we do and delivering it.”
Before taking up post to lead the development of the region’s ICS, Alan’s was as chief executive of North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, a role he held from 2007 to 2018. He joined the Trust from County Durham and Tees Valley Strategic Health Authority where he was director of finance.
Before joining the NHS, Alan worked in finance in the water industry and in local government. He was awarded an MBE for services to the NHS in 2013.