New Chief Medical Officer to join Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board

Dr Ian Reckless will be joining Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board as Chief Medical Officer on 15 April, prior to the retirement of Dr Sarah Whiteman later in the month.  Dr Reckless will undertake the role for two days a week on a fixed-term basis for the next six months, through a secondment from his substantive post at Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (MKUH) where he is Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Chief Executive.

Dr Reckless qualified from St George’s Hospital Medical School, London, and undertook postgraduate training in the Oxford region.  He previously worked as special adviser to the Healthcare Commission and as special assistant to the then Chief Medical Officer for England, Sir Liam Donaldson.  He was appointed consultant physician and senior research fellow at Oxford University Hospitals in 2007, subsequently holding the roles of associate medical director (quality) and clinical director (neurosciences). He has also been a member of the governing body of the Isle of Wight Clinical Commissioning Group.

In his current role, Dr Reckless has led the system flow workstream for the MK Deal and is a member of the joint leadership team in Milton Keynes.  He is also a non-executive director of the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Birmingham, and, through this work, has developed an understanding of the Integrated Care System in Birmingham and Solihull.

Dr Reckless has a particular interest in postgraduate education, and his clinical specialty is in stroke medicine.  He will not be undertaking clinical duties for the duration of the secondment, and council and hospital colleagues will take forward leadership of the system flow workstream in Milton Keynes.

Dr Ian Reckless said:

“I’m pleased to be joining the Integrated Care Board in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes at what is a challenging time in health and care. I am looking forward to continuing to work closely with colleagues from across the BLMK footprint – in primary, community, secondary and social care – to ensure that we secure the best outcomes possible for residents and their health.”

Felicity Cox, Chief Executive of Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board, said:

“This is an important appointment to make sure we have the continued clinical leadership we need across BLMK at a challenging time for health and care services. I look forward to welcoming Ian to the team.

“I also want to put on record my thanks to Dr Sarah Whiteman, who has served as Chief Medical Officer at the Integrated Care Board since July 2022, and as a GP in the NHS for over 30 years. Dr Whiteman has been a valued source of advice and support to so many colleagues across the system, and we all wish her well in her retirement.”