The NHS Confederation has a number of key spokespeople available to discuss key issues.
Steve Barnett, Chief Executive
Steve Barnett took on the role of Chief Executive following Gill Morgan's departure in April 2008. Prior to this, Steve led the work of NHS Employers representing NHS Trusts in England on workforce issues.
Steve is a member of the National Leadership Network for the NHS, the Cabinet Office Public Sector Employers Forum, the Government's Public Services Forum, National Stakeholder Council for Health, Work and Wellbeing, the Secretary of State's National Stakeholder Forum, the Council of the Institute for Employment Studies, CIPD's Employee Relations Panel, the Employers' Forum on Disability Board and President's Group and the Governing Council of the International Hospital Federation. He is also a member of the Open University's governing council and chair of its staff strategy committee.
Steve holds visiting Professorships at Cranfield and De Montford Universities and received an honorary doctorate from the University of Bradford in 2007.
Steve joined the NHS Confederation from the Home Office where he was senior director of human resources. Previous posts include deputy director HR for the NHS at the Department of Health.
Steve will continue to lead the Confederation until we recruit a permanent Chief Executive in the new year.
Nigel Edwards, Director of Policy
Nigel Edwards is director of policy for the NHS Confederation, the membership organisation that represents over 90 per cent of NHS organisations in the UK. His role is to influence health policy on behalf of members, develop policy positions on areas of key interest and speak on behalf of NHS organisations, particularly in the media.
Nigel Edwards, who is an Honorary Visiting Professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, was formerly the director of the London Health Economics Consortium which undertook high profile strategic health services research and consultancy in the UK and overseas. Before that, he was a senior manager in the NHS.
Nigel Edwards has researched and written extensively on health service strategy and policy.
Jo Webber, Deputy Policy Director
Prior to her current post, Joanna (Jo) Webber worked as a Policy Manager with the NHS Confederation, following her previous role as Director of Clinical Services at Broxtowe and Hucknall PCT with responsibility for provided services; workforce issues, which included employee relations, staff development, and recruitment and retention initiatives; clinical risk and quality assurance; and partnership working and joint commissioning. Jo Webber was previously Acting Director of Operations and Assistant Director of Nursing at Nottingham Community Health NHS Trust and a member of Nottinghamshire's Joint Commissioning Forum for Children's Services and the Children's Trust Steering Group. Her policy areas at the Confederation include children's policy, older people and adult social care, public health and partnerships/local strategic partnerships, as well as PCT issues and futures.
Bryan Stoten, Chairman of the NHS Confederation
Bryan Stoten was appointed as Chair of NHS Warwickshire on 1st October 2006. Prior to taking up this appointment he had served as Chairman of University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust since 2001 and was Chair of Warwickshire Health Authority from 1999-2001. From 1996-1999 Bryan served as Chair of Birmingham Health Authority and was Chair of South Birmingham Health Authority 1993-1996 and Chair of Coventry Family Health Services Authority 1990-1993. Bryan is currently Chief Executive of Public Management Associates, a research and training organisation and Co-Director of the Tobacco Control Collaborating Centre for England. He is a visiting Professor at Coventry University, a Fellow of the University of Warwick Business School and Chairman of Education of Health and Health Link Malawi. Bryan recently took up the post of Chairman of the NHS Confederation.
Liz Kendall, Director Ambulance Service Network
Liz Kendall joined the newly formed Ambulance Service Network at the start of May 2008. She was previously a special advisor to the Rt Hon Patricia Hewitt MP when she was Secretary of State for Health. She was also Director of The Maternity Alliance, the national charity for pregnant women, new parents and babies under one, and Associate Director at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) think tank.
Sue Slipman, Director Foundation Trust Network
Sue Slipman has been the Director of the Foundation Trust Network since October 2004. She was previously Chair of the Financial Ombudsman Service, an executive director with Camelot group responsible for social responsibility and external affairs, Chief Executive of the Gas Consumers Council, the London TEC Council and the National council for One Parent Families. She has also held a number of public appointments including as a member of the government's Better Regulation Task Force, chair of the Corporate Responsibility Group, Chair of the Department for Trade and Industry's Working Group on corporate social responsibility and chair of the National Consumer Council's Policy commission on Public Services. She is currently chair of the Financial Services authorities Schools Working Group on Financial Capability.
Steve Shrubb, Director Mental Health Network
Steve Shrubb joined the NHS 30 years ago as a domestic/nursing assistant. He then went on to train as a nurse before training as a cognitive-behavioural therapist. Steve has worked clinically in primary care and neuropsychiatry before going into management. He has been chief executive of two mental health trusts and has been lead director in the National Institute of Mental Health in England and director of the North East, Yorkshire and Humber Development centre. Steve Shrubb has an excellent track record in working in partnership in developing services and supporting the implementation of policy. Steve places a high priority on working with service users to increase their influence on service delivery and improvement. He is particularly interested in the continuing challenge of combating stigma and discrimination which so negatively affects the lives of people with mental health problems.
David Worskett, Director NHS Partners Network
David Worskett is Director of the NHS Partners Network - the grouping of private sector companies delivering patient care on behalf of the NHS. He has spent the past 5 years as Commercial Director of Bevan Brittan LLP, a well-known national law firm recognised for its modern culture and he remains a non-executive Director of the firm. Bevan Brittan has implemented one of the most progressive diversity policies in the legal sector and regards its decision to do so as based robustly and primarily on commercial and business justifications.
Earlier in his career David was for 10 years corporate affairs director of RAC Motoring Services Ltd. and subsequently Chief Executive of the Engineering and Technology Board. After leaving Oxford he initially joined the Home Civil Service, working in the old Departments of the Environment and Transport.
David Stout, Director Primary Care Trust Network
David Stout took up post as the first Primary Care Trust Network Director at the NHS Confederation in February 2007.
Previously David Stout had been Chief Executive of Newham Primary Care Trust from 2001 to 2007. Newham is a deprived borough in east London. The PCT won a number of national awards for service innovation and reducing health inequalities.
David joined the NHS as a management trainee in 1984. Prior to joining Newham PCT he was the Director of Mental Health and Learning Disabilities Services and Deputy Chief Executive at Camden and Islington Community Health Services NHS Trust.
