A CHAIR has been appointed for the new NHS Birmingham, Black Country and Solihull Integrated Care Board (ICB) cluster.
NHS England confirmed Danielle Oum has taken on the role following approval from the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.
Danielle has been chair of Coventry and Warwickshire ICB for over three years and has a leadership background in strategic development, commissioning strategy, stakeholder engagement and transformational change – spanning the public, private and voluntary sectors.
She currently also holds several board member positions, including at Coventry University; Fusion21 – a social enterprise specialising in efficient and impactful public sector procurement which spearheads social value; and Waythrough – an organisation providing support for individuals and their families living with the effects of mental ill-health, drug and alcohol misuse, gambling issues and domestic violence.
Danielle said: “It’s a privilege to be able to lead the new Birmingham, Black Country and Solihull cluster. I know the systems well and I’m joining at a time of great challenges but also great potential for both places.
“Both ICBs have achievements they can rightly be proud of – from strong performance on waiting times in the Black Country, to the new locality model in Birmingham and Solihull – and so much more besides. We must use this as our foundation from which we can build the new ICB.
“The Government has outlined the task for us for the next 10 years and I’m looking forward to realising this vision with colleagues in Birmingham, the Black Country and Solihull.”
The move to cluster the two organisations, follows a requirement from NHS England in April this year for ICBs to reduce running costs significantly, including through the delivery of functions at greater scale and to shift toward delivery of a strategic commissioning aligned to the shifts outlined in the Government’s national 10-year Health Plan.
Clustering enables both organisations to work together across borders, develop a range of shared support functions and to have a shared leadership team.
It does not constitute a formal merger and both ICBs will remain separate legal entities.
A formal merger may come at a later date and would likely require legislative change.
David Melbourne, chief executive of NHS Birmingham and Solihull, said: “We would like to welcome Danielle to the cluster and I look forward to working together going forward.
“Our focus in the coming weeks and months will be on the development of our approach to strategic commissioning and the development of neighbourhood health services.
“I know that Danielle’s significant experience and leadership skills will be invaluable as we move to a new operating model.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our outgoing Chair, Patrick Vernon, for his leadership of our Board and his efforts to ensure that we remain focussed on the need to tackle inequalities in our system. That will remain a key mission for the future clustered ICB.”
Mark Axcell, chiefeExecutive of NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Danielle into the role of cluster chair at such a pivotal time for our organisations.
“Her track record of strategic leadership, cross-sector collaboration and system transformation makes her exceptionally well-placed to help guide the cluster through this next phase.”
