Chair

We are looking for an inspiring and visionary individual to lead our Board with a commitment to collaboration and with the skills to support our strong partnerships to thrive and improve health outcomes locally. This opportunity comes at a critical time of reform within the NHS and in the role of the Integrated Care Board. We are focused on the opportunity of our central role as a strategic commissioner in delivering on the ambitions of Fit for the Future (the 10 Year Plan for the NHS).

We would be delighted to receive applications from people from a variety of backgrounds and sectors who share our commitment to tackling health inequalities and achieving equality, diversity, and inclusion for and with the population and the health and care workforce of West Yorkshire. We are committed to increasing the diversity of our leadership so that it is representative of the population we serve in West Yorkshire and particularly welcome applications from people with a disability, those who identify as LGBTQ+ and people from an ethnically diverse background.

Your values should align with those of the West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership (the Integrated Care System – ICS). We welcome applications from people with experience in a variety of sectors, not necessarily directly in the NHS, demonstrating skills that are relevant and transferable. This means being able to support the system to make an impact on people’s health outcomes and address some of the most significant inequalities in England. As Chair, key to this is ensuring that equality, diversity and inclusion remain at the forefront of our agenda.

The successful candidate will join our team of leaders who are striving to improve the health and wellbeing of 2.4 million people living in the five Places that make up West Yorkshire: Bradford District and Craven, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds, and Wakefield District. If appointed, you will facilitate the use of the system’s resources to ensure the biggest difference can be made from our investments, including the social and economic value of the money we spend.

You will also help set the tone in our system which is built on a partnership between the NHS, local government, Healthwatch, hospices, the voluntary, community, and social enterprise sector (VCSE), business and communities. We have a model of diverse and distributed leadership that embraces all the talents in the Partnership, and together we are proud to be the West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership.

This will require balancing priorities and significant engagement with a range of partners. As well as people who use services and communities, this will include groups of executive, non-executive and elected leaders in the NHS, local authorities, voluntary community, and social enterprise sector (VCSE), hospices, businesses, regulators, universities and further education colleges. The successful candidate will be independent of all stakeholders and partnerships within the ICS – and will demonstrate the highest level of professional integrity and probity.

Working with our Chief Executive, you will be responsible for ensuring that the Board governs an organisation that is built on diversity, partnership, collaboration and improving outcomes for local people. This will require the right approach to leadership, influence and collaborative relationships based on mutual accountability, together with innovative thinking and effective governance. This includes our provider collaboratives, such as West Yorkshire Association of Acute Trusts (hospitals working together) the Mental Health, Learning Disabilities and Autism Collaborative and the West Yorkshire Community Healthcare collaborative: West Yorkshire Health & Care Partnership as part of both our local and system-wide work. You will ensure that the ICS is consistently and strongly supportive of service delivery for people, carers, and families.

We fully understand our challenges – and are open, honest, and transparent with one another. This enables us to deliver on plans that are ambitious and realistic. Building on our collective approach we are looking for a Chair who shares this approach. Your values and behaviours will be fundamental, and you will be a respected, compassionate, and inclusive leader with the ability to build and sustain successful partnerships.

You will bring credible knowledge and understanding to support the delivery of complex integrated working and transformational change. Emphasising and articulating our vision, you will contribute to the principles of our Partnership which has stood us in good stead. You will clearly champion the vision across and beyond the ICS, including within communities that make up our diverse area, and with our local enterprise partnerships and the West Yorkshire Mayor.

This is a high-profile position, and the successful candidate will need to be an ambassador for our system so that together we can create a better future for our populations and to drive our ICS in its vital work. This includes supporting our Partnerships across all our local places – so that together we can influence and respond to emerging priorities.

Most of all we are looking for someone who is passionate about addressing inequalities and achieving the best possible health and care for all people. You will be well supported by the Integrated Care Partnership Board, and its Chair, who consider the health and care strategy as well as the wider determinants of health.

If you share our values and ambitions for the people living in West Yorkshire and have the skills and experience to drive our ICS forward, then we would be delighted to receive your application.

If you would like to have a confidential discussion regarding the role, please call Will McAlpine, Emma Pickup or Robin Staveley at Gatenby Sanderson via 07554 050236 to discuss your interest further.

Closing Date

Monday 1st December 2025

Preliminary Interviews

w/c 8th December 2025

Stakeholder Engagement

w/c 5th or 12th January 2026

Final Interviews

Friday 16th January 2026