NHS England in the East of England has today confirmed the appointments of the three Chairs who will lead the region’s future reorganised integrated care boards.
NHS England set out earlier this year how the current integrated care boards (ICBs) in England will change. For the East of England, these changes will see the current six ICBs working closer together as three new organisations to plan and commission health services. The current ICBs will legally remain in place until the legislation is changed next year, but will begin to work closer together this year.
Following approval from the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, NHS England has confirmed that the new ICB clusters and Chair designates for the future East of England’s ICBs will be:
- Mid and South Essex ICB will work with North East Essex (currently served by Suffolk and North East Essex ICB) and West Essex (currently served by Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB). This group will be chaired by Rt. Hon. Paul Burstow, who is currently Chair of Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB.
- The combined footprints of Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICB, and Hertfordshire (currently served by Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB) will work together. This group will be chaired Robin Porter, who is currently Chair of Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB.
- Norfolk and Waveney ICB will work together with Suffolk (currently served by Suffolk and North East Essex ICB). This group will be chaired Will Pope, who is currently Chair of Suffolk and North East Essex ICB and interim Chair of Norfolk and Waveney ICB.
Chairs of clustering ICBs have been appointed following a ringfenced expression of interest process. Where clustering ICBs are due to merge in April 2026, NHS England has appointed chairs with the intention that they will be appointed to chair the newly merged organisation once established, subject to the usual approvals.
I’m delighted to confirm these appointments, with each person bringing with them a wealth of experience of public sector leadership to the benefit of patients across our region. These appointments will play a pivotal role in helping us deliver the bold and ambitious 10 Year Health Plan here in the East of England.
Integrated Care Boards – East of England
The map displays the East of England geography, split into three distinct areas, each marked with a number and shown in different colours.
- Area 1 (Greater Essex) appears in dark blue at the bottom of the map.
- Area 2 (Suffolk and Norfolk) is shown in light blue/turquoise in the upper right portion.
- Area 3 (Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes; Cambridgeshire and Peterborough; and Hertfordshire) is displayed in dark blue on the left side of the map.
I’m honoured to take on the role of Chair Designate and excited to build on the strong foundations already in place. The creation of a single Essex ICB is a rare opportunity to simplify how services are planned and delivered, strengthen collaboration, and focus our energy on helping people live healthier lives closer to home.
In Essex, my priority will be to accelerate the ‘left shift’: moving more care into neighbourhoods, investing in prevention and early intervention, and ensuring equity underpins all we do. Achieving this will mean listening to local voices, drawing on lived experience, and strengthening the partnerships that characterise the Essex system.
Rt. Hon. Paul Burstow
I am delighted to have been appointed to the role of Chairman Designate. Having worked in the Suffolk and North East Essex ICS since 2019, and more recently across Norfolk and Waveney, I understand the many challenges that exist for our communities. I look forward to working with our partners and staff to help the new ICB drive forward positive changes and oversee commissioning of great services for our communities.
Will Pope
It is a privilege to be appointed Chair Designate for what is expected to be one of England’s largest integrated care boards, an organisation which will serve 3.2 million people in one of the most diverse, vibrant and fast-growing areas of England.
This new ICB has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reshape how we deliver health and care. It will need to make real, in a way that works for local people, the three shifts at the centre of the government’s 10 Year Plan for Health: hospital to community, analogue to digital, and sickness to prevention. I am thrilled to be a part of this mission. I look forward to working with, and learning from, fantastic NHS colleagues, partners, and residents across the area.
Robin Porter
Further appointments of other executive roles in ICBs are to follow from each ICB in due course.