Ex-chairman of Boots joins NHS Direct board
Steve has held a number of leadership roles at Moss Pharmacy, Alliance Pharmacy, Alliance UniChem and Alliance Boots. He recently retired as Executive Chairman of Boots.
A pharmacist by training, his track record of leading transformation and driving performance in complex, multi-national, multi-site environments will be important as NHS Direct positions itself to create value for the changing NHS. Patients and commissioners of NHS Direct’s remotely delivered health advice and information services will also benefit from Steve’s experience of customer-focused and web-based innovation at Boots.
Support for medicines-related enquiries is already an important part of the service NHS Direct provides, and community pharmacy is a vital resource that staff can direct patients to if further face-to-face advice is needed. Steve’s understanding of pharmacy and medicines will further enhance the effective partnership in place with community pharmacists and ensure the continued development of NHS Direct providing safe and effective access to medicines and related information.
Commenting on his appointment, Steve said, “I am delighted to be joining the NHS Direct team at a time when it is enhancing the multi-channel healthcare services it offers patients, within a changing and modernising NHS.”
