NHS England has today announced that following a recent appointment and interview process, Dr. Jeff Farrar QPM, OStJ has been named as Chair of the NHS Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board (ICB) and NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICB Cluster.
He will take on the role from 1 September 2025.
Over a long career, Dr. Farrar has shown great passion for high quality care, championing the rights and needs of vulnerable citizens and innovation and excellence in public services. He has a strong commitment to ‘Place’ based working and the power of partnerships at a local level to support communities.
Before joining the NHS in 2017, Jeff enjoyed a long and distinguished 35-year career in the Police Service.
He gained extensive leadership experience during that period, reaching the rank of Chief Constable of Gwent Police and holding several other national policing roles.
Dr. Farrar, originally from Cardiff, has studied at the University of Portsmouth, Cardiff University and most recently, the University of Bath where he received his Doctorate in Policy Research and Practice.
He was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal in the 2014 birthday honours list and in 2016 was the winner of the Institute of Directors, Director of the Year for the Public Sector in Wales for his work with the Welsh Government.
More recently, Jeff was appointed Chair of NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICB in 2021 and was previously Chair of University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust.
In line with the Government’s reforms, NHS Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) will have a crucial role to play in the future making the ambitions set out in the 10 Year Health Plan a reality on the ground with a more focused role as strategic commissioners of local health services.
Alongside their partners, they will be responsible for improving population health, closing health inequalities and building the new neighbourhood health service.
The current two ICB Boards will retain their statutory responsibilities this year under the clustering arrangement, but will work in ever closer partnership.
Commenting on his appointment, Dr. Jeff Farrar QPM, OStJ said:
“I am delighted to have been appointed as Chair at this pivotal time for the future of the NHS. As we come together as a cluster this year, it’s vital we make the most of our collective strengths, maintain strong local partnerships and ensure that the voices of service users, carers, the public and staff are at the heart of what we do.
This year will be really tough for the ICB Boards as they continue the considerable progress made in reducing waiting times for local people, ensuring quality and safety in services, including supporting essential service transformation, and living within their means financially in a challenging environment.
I am very conscious that ICB staff have experienced a prolonged period of uncertainty and I will work closely with the transition committee to ensure we are doing everything we can to support them through the changes ahead and develop the right structures to deliver for patients and the public.
Looking forward it’s really encouraging to see that both current ICBs have excellent Joint Forward Plans that align to the 10 Year Health Plan and are very clear on local priorities. I am excited to be playing my part in delivering the longer term changes that will be needed to develop a strong and sustainable NHS for future generations.
Finally, I would like to recognise the outstanding contribution of Dame Gill Morgan who recently announced her intention to stand down as Chair of NHS Gloucestershire ICB after many years of dedicated public service. The local health and care system has benefitted hugely from her wisdom and experience and has so much to be proud of.”
Welcoming Dr. Farrar’s appointment, Chair of NHS Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board, Dame Gill Morgan said:
“This really is an excellent appointment for the whole cluster area. Jeff is a natural leader and has spent decades of his life serving the public. His commitment to patient care, community wellbeing and development is second to none.
I know that he is passionate about partnership working and this will be crucial throughout the transition and beyond in supporting local priorities and helping to build an NHS fit for the future.”
Commenting on the three ICB Cluster Chair appointments across the South West, Sue Doheny, Acting Regional Director for NHS England in the South West, said:
“I’m really pleased we’ve been able to appoint such experienced, talented chairs to lead our three new clusters in the South West. We look forward to working with them as they build on the significant progress already made, to realise the ambitions of the 10-Year Health Plan.
I would also like to thank Gill and the other ICB Chairs for their forward-thinking and compassionate contributions over recent years, which have made a huge difference for our communities, patients and staff.”
Additional information:
Until September 2021, Dr. Farrar was the lead Non-Executive Director on the Welsh Government Board, Chairman of the Welsh Government Remunerations Committee and formerly Chair of the Welsh Government Effective Services Board.
As part of his policing roles, he was seconded to Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary as part of the team that inspected the Metropolitan Police after the death of Stephen Lawrence; and was also part of the team that inspected all 43 police forces in England and Wales on equality and diversity.
NHS Reform
Over the last few months, NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care have been discussing closer working, reducing duplication and reforming the size and functions of NHS organisations to support the Government’s priorities for the health service.
As part of this reform and the stated desire to maximise use of taxpayers’ money to support frontline services, ICBs, through a clustering arrangement, will work on larger footprints in the future to meet their strategic commissioning responsibilities and reduce their running costs.
Prior to any future merger, the current ICBs (NHS Gloucestershire ICB and NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICB) will continue to be statutory bodies and legal entities in their own right, but will work together in partnership to deliver the health priorities of local people.