Dr Jane Halpin, current Chief Executive of Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board, will become the Managing Director of the East of England Office of Commissioning from 1 October. This role will lead work to transfer responsibilities for commissioning specialised services, health and justice, vaccinations, screening, and delegated primary care services to ICBs over the next 18 months.
Dr Halpin said: “I’m excited about the opportunity to bring my extensive leadership experience and background in public health medicine together, to shape the future of regional commissioning and deliver better outcomes for patients across the whole of the East of England. I am looking forward to working to strengthen arrangements across services that span the whole NHS range, from prevention and screening to specialised care.”
From 1 October, Integrated Care Boards across the East of England will begin to work more closely, forming new clusters that will create more streamlined, sustainable health and care systems.
Jan Thomas, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care Board, has been appointed as the Chief Executive of the ‘Central East’ Integrated Care Board (ICB) that will formally come into being from 1 April 2026. It will cover Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, and Milton Keynes.
Jan has extensive leadership experience of managing complex health systems, strategic commissioning, and driving transformation across large-scale partnerships.
Jan Thomas said: “This is a great chance for us to work together, focus on what truly matters to local people, and create a health and care system that’s more connected, efficient, and built to last. Most importantly, it means making sure people can get the care they need, quickly and easily, when they need it most.
“Each organisation has strong foundations and a shared commitment to improving care for our communities, and I’m proud to take on this role as we move towards joint working across this wider geography.”
Robin Porter who was recently announced as Chair Designate for the Central East cluster said: “I am delighted that Jan has accepted this new role. Jan is a highly experienced, innovative NHS leader with an impressive track record of achievement in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. I look forward to working with her over the coming years to deliver high-quality health and care services for people in Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Peterborough, Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes.”
Responsibility for commissioning health services in west Essex is moving to the new Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB) cluster. Tom Abell has been appointed Chief Executive Designate for the new Essex cluster that will operate in shadow form in the coming months and will formally replace the current three ICBs which cover Essex next year.
Tom, who has been Chief Executive of Mid and South Essex ICB for the last year, said: “We will have a key role in securing the needed improvement for our local communities. The move to an Essex ICB presents an opportunity to simplify care commissioning and delivery, with a sharper focus on prevention, early intervention, and tackling inequalities. Building on place-based partnerships will be fundamental to this.”
Clare Panniker, Regional Director for NHS England in the East of England, said: “Dr Jane Halpin is a highly respected, high performing and experienced leader. She will be pivotal in shaping the future of regional commissioning and delivering better outcomes for our population.
“I’m also delighted to confirm appointment of Jan and Tom in their Chief Executive roles. Each brings a wealth of experience of heath service leadership which will benefit patients across the area and the wider region. These appointments will play a key role in helping us deliver the bold and ambitious 10 Year Health Plan here in the East of England.”