Written Statement: Performance and Productivity Ministerial Advisory Group

I am today announcing the appointment of an external Ministerial Advisory Group on NHS Performance and Productivity, which will provide an independent review of the existing arrangements in place to support improvements in NHS Wales. 

This is a group of individuals with national and international expertise in their respective fields who will support us in our work to cut long waiting times. 

It will operate independently from NHS Wales and, through its membership, will provide me with external assurance on the effectiveness of current arrangements which aim to improve performance and productivity across NHS Wales, and views on how the current arrangements could be strengthened to further improve performance and productivity.

There will be a particular focus on planned care, cancer performance and reducing the longest waits, as well as looking at existing programmes to improve emergency and urgent care in Wales.

I am pleased to announce the following appointments:

Sir David Sloman (Chair)

Sir David spent his 40-year career in healthcare management. He was awarded a knighthood in 2017 for his services to the NHS. Sir David served as NHS England’s chief operating officer from December 2021 until his retirement in September 2023.  

Professor Tim Briggs (Member)

Tim is a consultant orthopaedic surgeon and was appointed national director for clinical improvement and elective recovery for NHS England in November 2022. He is chair of the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme and has overseen the roll out of the GIRFT programme into Wales, Northern Ireland and Australia across a number of specialties. Tim is chair and national lead of the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance and Honorary Colonel of 202 (Midlands) Field Hospital RAMC. He was made a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2018 New Year’s Honours List for services to the surgical profession.

Professor Sally Lewis (Member)

Sally is a former GP and former director of the Welsh Value in Health Centre.  She is now an international speaker and strategic advisor on the concept of value in healthcare.

Professor Marcus Longley (Member)

Marcus has worked in the NHS, and as an academic in health policy, for more than 40 years. He was director of the Welsh Institute for Health and Social Care, University of South Wales, for many years (where he is now Professor Emeritus in Health Policy), a vice chair and chair of Welsh health boards, and is currently the Deputy Chair of the UK Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care.

Adam Roberts (Member)

Adam Roberts has held senior roles across NHS England where he is currently the Director for Urgent and Emergency Care Operational Insight.  He brings significant experience of developing national policy to improve outcomes for patients, and management of real-time operational pressures.  This builds on an influential publication record in health and care from his time working at the Nuffield Trust and The Health Foundation. These cover topics including the drivers of performance and productivity for NHS services; and projections of funding pressures facing the NHS in both Wales and England. 

Ed Rose (Member)

Ed Rose was director of delivery for NHS England’s National Cancer Programme from 2021-2024, responsible for the implementation of a range of early diagnosis programmes and recovery of performance following the Covid-19 pandemic. He was also NHS England’s director of elective, cancer and diagnostics from 2023-2024. Ed was adviser to Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, from 2015-2018. Prior to this he worked in the Prime Minister’s implementation unit under the coalition government. He started his career in hospital management and worked in a variety of operational roles in the NHS, including developing the UK’s first proton beam therapy centre at University College London Hospitals and managing acute services at Barts and the London NHS Trust.

Dr Tara Sood (Member)

Dr Sood trained at the University of Bristol and has worked as a consultant in Emergency Medicine at the Royal Free Hospital for over 15 years. In addition to being a frontline clinician she has previously chaired the Royal College of Emergency Medicine ambulatory emergency care special interest group. She is currently an NHS England National Specialty Advisor for Same Day Emergency Care and has contributed to the development of policy and strategy and the framework for delivery of same day emergency care in England.

Sir Paul Williams (Member)

Sir Paul is a former chief executive of three NHS trusts and of NHS Wales as well as director general for health and social services, Welsh Government. Following his retirement from NHS Wales, he was appointed a member of the Bevan Commission, non-executive director at Natural Resources Wales, member of the Ministerial Advisory Board for Economy, Transport and Science, chair of the Public Transport Users Advisory Panel, member of the Commission on Mutuals and Cooperatives, and chair of the Commission on Public Service and Delivery.

The group brings a wealth of experience from across other national health services and will meet for the first time in October 2024. It will provide me with advice by 31 March 2025.