Chief Finance Officer appointed to emerging NHS Integrated Care Board

Dean Westcott has been appointed as the Chief Finance Officer for the new NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board, when it takes on statutory responsibilities on 1 July 2022.

Mr Westcott currently holds the joint role of Chief Finance Officer for BLMK CCG and ICS Executive Finance Lead.

Before he joined Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes CCG last year, Dean was previously Director of Capital Planning and Estates for Herts and West Essex ICS and has held Director of Finance roles within the NHS for a number of years.

Dean is a CCAB qualified accountant and has had an extensive career in finance, with experience covering contracting, performance and informatics.

Past President of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), he is currently Chairman of the Association’s Pension Scheme and has served as a past Chairman of ACCA’s Audit and Finance Committees, as well as the Health Service Network and the International Public Sector Committee.

Speaking about his appointment Mr Wescott said:

“I am pleased to be appointed to this important role at a time of change for health and care services.

“The legacy of the pandemic means that we have a significant job to do in supporting our population to live longer in good health and working with our partners to pool resources and make sure we have a stable financial foundation to deliver for residents is crucial.

“We are at the beginning of a very exciting journey for local health and care. I’m looking forward to working with colleagues to find new and innovative ways of delivering services for local people across our system.”

Confirming the appointment, Felicity Cox, Chief Executive Designate for Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board said:

“I am delighted that Dean will continue to work with us as we transition to the NHS Integrated Care Board. We know that the next few years will be a challenge, as we recover NHS services following the pandemic and work to balance the many diverse health and social care needs of our population. We will need to think and work differently and so Dean’s wealth of experience will ensure strong financial leadership for our local system.”