Joined up health care for Hertfordshire

A job-share partnership of senior health and social care leaders has been announced to navigate the next steps towards an improved, integrated health and care system in Hertfordshire.

Iain MacBeath, Hertfordshire County Council’s director of Adult Care Services and Beverley Flowers, CEO of East and North Hertfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), applied jointly for the position of STP lead chief officer when the previous post-holder retired in April.  

Flowers and MacBeath will each combine two days’ work a week leading the STP with their current posts, with the support of their organisations. Their immediate priorities include delivering the STP’s Integrated Health and Care Strategy and working the independent chair (Paul Burstwow) and partner organisations on forming an over-arching Integrated Care System and leading the development of the area’s Integrated Care Partnerships.

MacBeath said: “I am delighted to take up this opportunity at such a key stage in the transformation of our health and care system. This role gives me the opportunity to work with colleagues in the voluntary sector, our district and county councils and the area’s health and care providers and commissioning organisations to support people to lead happier, healthier lives.”  

Flowers said: “Iain and I are committed to ensuring that clinical and professional expertise continues to be nurtured and supported in the Hertfordshire and West Essex STP area. We plan to get out and about across the patch, learning from colleagues in west Essex and Hertfordshire and championing the examples of excellent practice that exist across the whole system. There is a lot of energy and enthusiasm for positive, person-centred change in our area and we will embrace the challenge of transforming that passion into action.”