Audit Chair appointed to emerging NHS Integrated Care Board

Audit Chair appointed to emerging NHS Integrated Care Board image

Home » News » Audit Chair appointed to emerging NHS Integrated Care Board

Andrew Blakeman

ANDREW Blakeman has been appointed as the Audit Chair for the new NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board, when it takes on statutory responsibilities on 1 July 2022.

The first Non-Executive Member to be appointed to Board, Mr Blakeman is currently Chief Financial Officer of the Stryde Group, part of BP and has held a variety of financial leadership roles within the BP Group.

A chartered accountant, he is also a lecturer in Corporate Finance at London Business School and has held several non-executive roles in the NHS including as Deputy Chair of Milton Keynes University Hospital and as Audit Committee Chair of NHS Blood & Transplant.

Speaking about his appointment Mr Blakeman said:

“I am pleased to be given the opportunity to serve on the new NHS Integrated Care Board to improve the health and wellbeing of residents in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes.

“I am passionate about tackling health inequalities and am particularly interested in how we can use the lived experiences of residents to shape services locally. I also hope to bring my own lived experience of the system to decision making.

“This is an exciting time, which brings great opportunity. I’m looking forward to getting stuck in and working with colleagues to make a difference”.

I am passionate about tackling health inequalities and am particularly interested in how we can use the lived experiences of residents to shape services locally.

Confirming the appointment, Dr Rima Makarem, Chair Designate for Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board said:

“I am delighted to welcome Andrew to the NHS Integrated Care Board and announce the first of our Non-Executive Members. The Chair of the Audit Committee is a crucial role for us, as we need to strike the balance between delivering value for taxpayers’ money, improving the health and wellbeing of citizens and making sure that we deliver good governance and processes.

“Andrew brings a wealth of experience in a blue-chip company and of working within the NHS in Milton Keynes and I look forward to working with him on the Board, as we strive to improve the lives and wellbeing of our population”.

The establishment of the Integrated Care Board has been delayed following the recent Omicron wave of the Covid pandemic but will form as a legal organisation on 1 July 2022.

View all news

Latest news and highlights

News

22 July 2025

Patients urged to “please use NHS services wisely” ahead of planned NHS…

Patients in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes have been urged to help the local NHS to preserve care for those who most need it, ahead…

News

22 July 2025

Local residents get answers to their cancer questions at shopping centre events

Hundreds of residents in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes have received answers to their questions about cancer and cancer screening, following a series of outreach…

News

18 July 2025

More than half of local people now have the NHS App on…

More than half of patients in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes have now downloaded the NHS App, new figures show. More than half of local residents have now signed up…

News

18 July 2025

NHS recruitment drive in Luton to support working-class communities

People from working class communities in Luton will be among those supported onto the NHS career ladder, as the Government’s Plan for Change tackles rampant health inequalities and gets Britain working.…

News

15 July 2025

Tragic death from measles prompts vaccination reminder to families

Parents in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes have been alerted to the risk of measles, following reports this weekend that a child has sadly died of the disease in Liverpool.…

News

9 July 2025

More patients seen at extended-hours clinics in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes

Over 194,000 patients in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes have taken advantage of ‘enhanced access’ appointments at general practices, which offer health services to people outside conventional opening hours. Figures…