Welsh Government: Update on Accountability Ministerial Task and Finish Advisory Group

Eluned Morgan MS, Minister for Health and Social Services said:

In July I announced that I am putting in place a task and finish Ministerial Advisory Group which will reflect on the current governance structures within NHS Wales, provide a view about whether accountabilities are clear and appropriate, and advise on any recommendations necessary to strengthen them.

I am pleased to now be in a position to announce the following appointments to the group.

Chair

Ann Lloyd CBE

Ann Lloyd has spent the majority of her career as a CEO of large health service organisations. Her career culminated in her appointment as Director General – Health and Social Care – Welsh Government and NHS Wales CEO, a post she occupied for 8 years. She has also occupied the position of Health and Social Care Appointments Commissioner for London for 2 years, overseeing the competence of NHS Boards and their non-executives.

Ann has been operating as an independent advisor and coach since 2012, specialising in Board effectiveness and governance reviews, skills audits and Board Development and special investigations. Since 2017 Ann has been the Chair of Aneurin Bevan University Health Board.

Group members

Victor Abedowle

Lord Victor Adebowale became Chair of the NHS Confederation in April 2020. Before this, he was CEO of Turning Point, a social enterprise providing health and social care interventions to approximately 100,000 people on an annual basis. 

Victor is a non-Executive Director of the Co-Operative Group, Collaborate CIC, Nuffield Health, Visionable and Leadership in Mind. He is also the Chair of Social Enterprise UK. Victor served for 6 years as a Non-Executive Director on the board of NHS England. He has chaired a number of commission reports into: policing; employment; mental health; housing and fairness for The London Fairness Commission; the Metropolitan Police; and for central and local government.

Nick Bennett

Nick joined Savills in April 2022 as Director Economics Wales. He has 30 years’ experience in public policy, with a significant economic development and regeneration focus. Nick was previously Public Services Ombudsman for Wales and Chief Executive of Community Housing Cymru.  As well as in depth experience of the Welsh public policy scene Nick has represented his previous offices at UK, European and World levels – he was Chairman of the Ombudsman Association, member of the European and World Boards of the International Ombudsman Institute and a board member of Housing Europe.

Professor Derek Feeley

Professor Derek Feeley is a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), having previously served as IHI's President and Chief Executive. He is also a former Director General for Health and Social Care and Chief Executive of NHS Scotland.

Mark Hackett

Mark is a career NHS executive and undertook a number of general management posts in London, Neath and Birmingham prior to becoming an NHS Chief Executive.  He has held CEO roles in Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Southampton, Stoke-on-Trent and latterly Swansea Bay University Health Board in a CEO career spanning over 25 years.  Mark is an Honorary Professor of the University of Swansea and a fellow of the University of Southampton.  

Marcus Longley

Marcus is Professor Emeritus in Health Policy at the University of South Wales, and Deputy Chair of the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care.  He was Chair of Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board from 2017 to 2021, and for four years before that Vice Chair of Cardiff and the Vale Health Board.  He was educated at the Universities of Oxford, Cardiff and Bristol, and was elected a Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health of the Royal Colleges of Physicians in 2008.

Rhiannon Tudor Edwards

Rhiannon Tudor Edwards BSc. Econ, M.A., D.Phil., Hon. MFPH is Professor of Health Economics. She is Co-Director of the Centre for Health Economics and Medicines Evaluation (CHEME) at Bangor University and leads the Public Health and Prevention Economics Research Group(PHERG) at CHEME.

She was ranked in the top 5 most collaborative authors, with Bangor University in the top 10 most collaborative institutions in health economics.

Pam Wenger

Pam is a highly regarded governance professional whose extensive expertise spans 30 years working as a Director of Governance for the NHS in both Wales and England.

Since 2021 Pam has been the Board Secretary at Cygnet Health Care, enabling her to explore wider governance opportunities and utilise her considerable skills in the independent sector too.    Pam is a Chartered Governance Professional.

Debra Williams

Dr Debra Williams is one of Britain’s leading businesswomen with a proven track record and an instinctive talent for generating growth and identifying new business opportunities.  Debra was Welsh Woman of the Year for Innovation, was recognised as one of the UK’s top 200 business women by the Queen, awarded a Life Time Achievement Award and became a honorary Doctor at Swansea University and an honorary Doctor at Bangor University.

Debra sits on the Board of The Alacrity Foundation, Milford Haven Port Authority, Principality Building Society, Co-op Insurance and Chairs GCRE Ltd.

Dr Olwen Williams OBE

Olwen is a Welsh speaking, Consultant physician who has worked in the field of Sexual Health and HIV medicine in North Wales for over 30 years. She is currently seconded to Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) as Associate Director of Clinical Leadership. She is chair elect of the Academy of Royal Colleges in Wales.

A terms of reference for the group is included to this statement.

The group met for the first time in early October and will advise me of its recommendations by 31 March 2024.