Dickson to step down from NHS Confederation role

Niall Dickson, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, is to step down from his role in October, having been in post for almost four years.

It has been revealed that deputy Danny Mortimer, who is also chief executive of NHS Employers, will take over on an interim basis whilst the recruitment process takes place. As a result of this, interim arrangements for NHS Employers will be confirmed shortly.

As chief executive since the start of 2017, Niall has steered the Confederation through a challenging period as it has supported its members in coping with the impact of a decade of austerity, rapidly rising demand, Brexit and, now, the unprecedented impact of the pandemic. Under his leadership, the NHS Confederation has played a leading role in making the case for a long-term funding settlement for the NHS, working with partners and commissioning the seminal study from the Institute for Fiscal Studies and The Health Foundation to influence the five-year funding settlement that emerged in 2018.

Dickson said: “It has been a privilege to serve the Confederation and its members over the last few years and I am confident the organisation and what it stands for will continue to grow and develop in the years ahead. It has also been an honour to work with our members - the health service is fortunate in having a group of dedicated and forward-looking leaders who too often are not recognised for what they achieve. A new generation is emerging with the confidence, the ability and the vision to protect and transform this great British institution, and I know the Confederation is committed to doing everything it can to support them to succeed.

“I want to thank the Confederation’s Trustees for their unstinting support – I know the organisation will thrive under them and our new chair, Victor Adebowale, who has already brought fresh thinking and new ideas that I know will benefit our members in the years to come. My special thanks also go to my senior team and to the Confederation’s staff who have not only responded brilliantly during the current emergency but have risen to so many challenges and delivered for our members in so many ways.”

We spoke to Niall Dickson as part of our NHS 70 anniversary celebrations. You can read his interview here.