Our Board
Our Board is accountable for the decision making of the organisation.
Our Board is accountable for the decision making of the organisation.
Our board is made up of partners from the NHS, Somerset Council, Healthwatch Somerset and the VCFSE Sector. Watch this video to see how we are striving to deliver our vision for a healthier Somerset.
Our Board consists of a Chair, a Chief Executive Officer, Non-Executive Directors (clinical and non-clinical), Partner members, Executive Directors, and the Local Authority Director of Public Health.
The Board is supported by six Committees, who work together to commission the best possible healthcare services for the Somerset population:
- Quality Committee
- Primary Care Commissioning Committee
- Audit Committee
- Finance Committee
- Remuneration Committee
- Leadership Committee
The Board’s role is to ensure we function effectively, efficiently and economically, and in accordance with the Integrated Care Board’s principles of good governance and its Constitution.
Key responsibilities of the Board are:
- Setting our vision and strategy
- Approving our commissioning plans and financial policies
- Monitoring local providers’ performance and quality
- Approving annual reports
- Ensuring that we debate issues in an open and transparent way
- Ensuring we have effective patient and public participation in commissioning healthcare.
ICB Board Meetings
All our Board meetings are open to the public to attend. Notification of the meetings is sent out to our mailing list a week before the meetings whenever possible. If you would like to raise a public question, please download the Public Questions Form and email this to julie.hutchings@nhs.net by midday on the Monday preceding the meeting. Please see our 'Guidance Notes for Members of the Public' for more information.
Meeting dates, locations and related documents are available in the meetings and papers section.
Our ICB Board Members
Paul von der Heyde – Chair
Paul von der Heyde has been Chair of NHS Somerset since December 2021. He has a wealth…
Jonathan Higman – Chief Executive
Jonathan Higman is the Chief Executive of NHS Somerset Integrated Care Board (ICB). Jonathan has over 20…
Suresh Ariaratnam – Non Executive Director
As an advisory council member of the British Library and a trustee for the Theatre Royal Bath,…
Dr Berge Balian – Primary Care Partner Member
Dr Berge Balian has been a GP at Crewkerne Health Centre since 1995. He has been a…
Charlotte Callen – Director of Communications, Engagement and Marketing
Charlotte became a BBC Home Affairs correspondent in 2017. During her time with the BBC, she covered…
Victoria Downing-Burn – Chief People Officer
Victoria Downing-Burn is the Chief People Officer. She has over 20 years’ experience working across a variety…
Christopher Foster – Non Executive Director
Christopher Foster was Bishop of Portsmouth and a Lord Spiritual until stepping down in May 2021. Aside…
Dr Caroline Gamlin – Non Executive Director
Dr Caroline Gamlin has worked in healthcare for over 40 years. As a GP and Public Health…
Judith Goodchild – Healthwatch (Participant)
Judith Goodchild is an observer on the NHS Somerset board and is also the Chair of Healthwatch…
Professor Trudi Grant – Chief Officer for Population and Public Health
Trudi Grant is Chief Officer for Population and Public Health, a joint post between Somerset Council and…
Alison Henly – Chief Finance Officer and Director of Performance and Contracting
Alison Henly is the Chief Finance Officer and Director of Performance and Contracting at NHS Somerset. Alison…
Peter Lewis – Foundation Trust Partner Member
Peter Lewis is the Chief Executive for Somerset NHS Foundation Trust. Prior to the trusts merging in…
Dr Bernie Marden – Chief Medical Officer
Dr Bernie Marden is Chief Medical Officer at NHS Somerset A neonatal paediatrician by background having qualified…
David McClay – Chief Officer for Strategy, Digital and Integration
Davids’s career has spanned over 20 years across a variety of roles within both the Scottish and…
Shelagh Meldrum – Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Operating Officer
Shelagh Meldrum is the Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Operating Officer at NHS Somerset. She began her…
Katherine Nolan – SPARK Somerset, VCSE sector (Participant)
Katherine has worked in the VCFSE (voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise) sector for more than 20 years,…
Grahame Paine – Non Executive Director
Grahame is an experienced Non-Executive Director with a proven track record of success having influenced high-level strategies that…
Jade Renville – Director of Corporate Affairs
Jade Renville has extensive experience within the NHS and the field of corporate governance, beginning her career…
Duncan Sharkey – Local Authority Partner Member
Duncan Sharkey, Chief Executive of Somerset Council was in October 2022. During the first six months of…
AGMs
NHS Somerset ICB Marketplace and Annual General Meeting – 30 September 2024
Each year we hold an Annual General Meeting (AGM) to share our work with system partners, patients and the public. We focus on what we have achieved over the previous year and our plans for the year ahead. This year, we held our Marketplace and AGM at The Canalside, Bridgwater.
Please find below the agenda and minutes from last year's meeting, together with the presentation slides:
Minutes of AGM held on 18 September 2023
NHS Somerset ICB Marketplace and Annual General Meeting – 18 September 2023
Each year we hold an Annual General Meeting (AGM) to share our work with system partners, patients and the public. We focus on what we have achieved over the previous year and our plans for the year ahead. This year, we held our Marketplace and AGM at The Conference Centre, Bridgwater & Taunton College (Taunton Campus).
Please find below the agenda and presentation slides:
NHS Somerset CCG Annual General Meeting 2021
Annual General Meeting – Tuesday, 14 September 2021 at 7.00 pm
Each year we hold an Annual General Meeting (AGM) to share our work with patients and the public. We focus on what we have achieved over the previous year and our plans for the year ahead. This year, we again held the AGM as a virtual event and members of the public were invited to view the proceedings. You can watch our recording of the meeting by clicking on the link below.
AGM 2021 Questions and Responses
NHS Somerset Annual General Meeting 2020
Each year we hold an Annual General Meeting (AGM) to share our work with patients and the public. We focus on what we have achieved over the previous year and our plans for the year ahead.
Due to Covid-19, we held the AGM on 15 September 2020 as a virtual event, using Microsoft Teams LiveEvents, and members of the public were invited to view the proceedings. You can watch our recording of the meeting by clicking on the link below.
