
George Johnston
George is a senior policy and delivery manager with our Primary Care Network.
George joined the NHS Confederation in December 2022 as a policy and delivery manager, where he led work on PCNs, focusing on digital transformation, contracting, and commissioning. He was subsequently promoted to senior policy and delivery manager, taking on wider responsibility for policy across our Primary Care Network portfolio.
George has authored several of the Confederation’s long-read reports, including The Future of Primary Care Report, which outlined members’ ambitions for the sector and the policy reforms required to achieve them. He enjoys working across a broad range of areas, from commissioning and estates to digital innovation and the development of primary care provider collaboratives.
Before joining the NHS Confederation, George worked as a senior paramedic in a community trust, supporting a large multidisciplinary team to deliver care at home and reduce avoidable hospital admissions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he served as a clinical contact caseworker and has also taught paramedic students as an associate lecturer. George continues to practice part-time as a paramedic, ensuring his policy work remains grounded in frontline experience.
George studied Paramedic Science at Anglia Ruskin University and holds a Master’s degree in Government, Policy and Politics from Birkbeck, University of London.
Outside of work, George is a trustee at a local secondary school and a passionate Newcastle United season ticket holder—he can often be found on a train at the weekend, proudly wearing black and white.