Chief executive of NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board (ICB), Graham Urwin, has announced he will retire in June next year following 42 years in public service.
Mr Urwin has worked in the NHS for 36 years, during which time he held a number of positions, including at NHS England, before taking up his current role.
While holding the position of regional director of performance and improvement at NHS England, he was also the Northwest incident director for the management of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking about his retirement, Mr Urwin said he was ‘incredibly proud’ of all the NHS had achieved.
‘It has been the most tremendous privilege and honour to have worked with so many dedicated and talented people over the years and whilst there will always remain challenges to address there is much to celebrate,’ he said.
He added that the ‘time is right’ for him to ‘hand the baton over to a new future leader’ as the NHS embarked on a new era next year with the launch of the NHS 10 Year Plan.
Raj Jain, chair of NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, described Mr Urwin as ‘an outstanding leader and a truly inspirational chief executive’.
A recruitment process will now commence for a new chief executive.
