Patrick Vernon OBE appointed Interim Chair NHS Birmingham and Solihull
Patrick Vernon OBE appointed Interim Chair NHS Birmingham and Solihull
NHS Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board Chair, Dame Yve Buckland, will be joining University Hospitals Birmingham as Chair on an interim basis.
Patrick Vernon OBE, currently Non-executive Director for Inequalities and Vice-Chair of the ICB, will take on the ICB Chair role on an interim basis.
An established, recognised and respected chair within the local health and care system, Dame Yve is already working very closing with the Trust, as a key partner in Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System (ICS).
Dame Yve understands the issues and opportunities currently facing the Trust, and the wider NHS, and can help to provide stability as we continue to recover our services and deliver our ambitions for our patients and our staff.
Dame Yve has also been instrumental in the establishment of NHS Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board.
Dame Yve said: “While I’m delighted to be taking on the interim Chair role at University Hospitals Birmingham, I am of course saddened to be leaving NHS Birmingham and Solihull.
“We have made fantastic progress in the establishment of both the ICB and ICS and I’m confident that together we have laid a positive platform for transformation.
“I’d also like to thank my colleague Patrick Vernon, who will take over my role as Chair at NHS Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board on an interim basis.”
Patrick is a former Non-executive Director for Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust and Healthwatch England.
He received an OBE in 2012 for his work on tackling health inequalities and ethnic minority communities.
In 2019 he was awarded a lifetime achievement award for campaigning and advocacy work by the Sheila McKechnie Foundation.
In 2020 Patrick established the Majonzi Fund, which is providing grants to families and community organisations to hold commemoration events for individuals from Black and racialised communities who have died from COVID-19 during the pandemic.
In August 2021 Patrick was appointed by Wolverhampton University as Honorary Professor of Cultural Heritage and Community Leadership for the Department of Community Development and he is also Chair of Walsall Together.
Patrick said: “I’m excited to take up the Chair role and to build on the fantastic start Yve has given us in the establishment of NHS Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board.
“The coming months are set to be a challenging time for our system and I’m looking forward to working closely with colleagues across the area to ensure that we remain focused on delivering for our patients and staff and that we are responding comprehensively to the increasing demands on our services.”