Rob Webster CBE
Rob has been the lead Chief Executive for the West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership, an integrated care system (ICS), since March 2016. He became the Chief Executive of NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) in July 2022 when it became a statutory organisation as part of the Government’s new Health and Care Act. His focus is on collaboration across health, local government, the third sector and communities to improve outcomes for people in West Yorkshire.
Rob has had a number of Chief Executive roles, in a career that started in 1990. This includes being the Chief Executive of NHS Calderdale Primary Care Trust, Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust and South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. He was the Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation between 2014 and 2016, representing all parts of the health sector. The first part of Rob’s career was spent in Whitehall, where he was an established Senior Civil Servant in the Department for Health and Care and in the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit at the Cabinet Office. He led on national programmes on primary care, productivity, NHS spending and the workforce and had a reputation for innovation and improvement.
Rob continues to contribute to several national programmes and networks including chairing the NHS Confederation Equality, Diversity, Inclusion Reference Group; being an active membership of the NHS Assembly; the National Clinical Leaders Network; NHS Professionals Strategic Advisory Board; the National Centre for Creative Health Advisory Group; and Chair of the Strategic Advisory Group to the Rapid Service Evaluation Team.
Rob is a visiting Professor at Leeds Beckett University and was proud to be made a Fellow of the Queen’s Nursing Institute in 2014. In May 2016 Rob became an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners. In 2020 he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his contribution to healthcare leadership and was awarded the HSJ's Chief Executive of the Year Award in 2021 owing to his focus on inequality and workforce wellbeing. He is a proud Honorary Graduate of the University of Bradford which bestowed an honorary doctorate in health for services during the pandemic.
Rob believes that leadership can happen from every seat in the organisation, is based on a set of shared values and happens in systems.
Cathy Elliott, Chair-Designate for the NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board said:
‘This important appointment is great news for us all. With a strong focus on distributed leadership, Rob firmly believes in the power of the NHS, councils, Healthwatch, hospices, the voluntary community social enterprise sector and communities being equal partners at a local and system level for better joined up care for people, delivered locally. An ethos which will continue to move us forward into the future together.
I’m very much looking forward to working with Rob for and with our West Yorkshire partners.’
Cllr Swift, West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership Board and Leader of Calderdale Council, said:
‘We welcome the certainty that this announcement brings and look forward to continuing to work with Rob, to make integrated care a reality for the people we collectively serve.
Supporting colleagues across all partner sectors, preventing ill health, and tackling health inequalities for everyone, so that no matter where people live or work, to deliver and receive the best quality of care possible, are amongst his key priorities - ones I very much welcome’.
Richard Barker North East and Yorkshire Regional Director for NHS England said:
‘The leaders of our integrated care systems (ICS) have a vital role working with all system partners to deliver excellent care and improve the health of the communities we support.
Getting our leadership structures and governance right is important but integrated care is about practical, real improvements for local populations and the ICSs are uniquely placed to more this forward in bold and innovative ways.’
Background information
- Rob Webster has led the integrated care system since 2016
- He is an active member of the NHS Assembly, NHS National People Board and National Centre for Creative Health Advisory Group. He contributes to several national programmes including the New Hospital Programme Board, Health Devolution Commission, and chairs the NHS Confederation’s Equality Diversity and Inclusion Board and the Nuffield Trust RSET Stakeholder Advisory Board.
- Rob has worked in healthcare since 1990, taking on national leadership roles in the Department of Health on policy, transformation, and delivery. He has been a director for the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit in the Cabinet Office. He was also CEO of the NHS Confederation between 2014 and 2016, having proven to be a successful leader in the NHS since 2007.
- He is defined by a values-based approach to leadership. He is a visiting Professor at Leeds Beckett University and was made a Fellow of the Queen’s Nursing Institute in 2014. In May 2016, Rob became an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners. In 2020 he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) and more recently awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Health from Bradford University (2021).
- Rob was awarded HSJ's chief executive of the year in March 2021.
- West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership is a large integrated care system that supports 2.4 million people, including 270,000 unpaid carers. You can read the five-year plan here.
- The Partnership is made up of the NHS, councils, hospices, Healthwatch, the voluntary community social enterprise sector and communities with over 100,000 staff.