NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board

Claire Skidmore

Deputy CEO and Chief Finance Officer

Claire has worked in the NHS for over 25 years and is an experienced NHS Chief Finance Officer, holding executive positions in commissioning organisations for more than 10 years. She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and holds an MBA from Warwick University. Claire’s experience extends well beyond finance as she feels privileged to have been responsible for a wide range of functions in her time as an executive. In 2021 Claire also spent some time as Accountable Officer for Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Clinical Commissioning Group. To learn more, please email ssotics.comms@staffsstoke.icb.nhs.uk Deputy CEO and Chief Finance Officer Chief Officer System Development and Integration Chief Officer Strategy and Improving Outcomes Vice Chair and Chair of Finance Committee Chair of Quality and Safety Committee Non Executive Director and Chair of Strategic Commissioning and Transformation Committee Non-Executive Chair of People, Culture and Organisational Development Committee Chief Executive, North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust, Mental Health Member Chief Executive Officer, University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust, Partner Member Chief Executive, Staffordshire County Council, Partner Member City Director, City of Stoke-on-Trent Council, Partner Member

Dr Lorna Clarsen

Dr Lorna Clarson Chief Officer Strategy and Improving Outcomes

Phil Smith

Chief Officer System Development and Integration

Phil has a proven track record of delivery in a variety of oversight, performance and planning roles across the health and social care sector over the last 18 years. He joined the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Shadow Integrated Care Board as Delivery Director in February 2022 to coordinate oversight of operational delivery across the county. This appointment was on secondment from his role as Assistant Director of Strategic Transformation for NHS England and NHS Improvement. Staffordshire born and raised, Phil has held a variety of roles in acute, community, social care, commissioning and regulatory organisations – centred largely around the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent geography. He is experienced in engaging with local, regional and national leaders across traditional organisational and professional boundaries to facilitate practical solutions to delivery challenges. With a focus on learning and continuous improvement, Phil is adept at bringing partners together to co-produce plans and oversee delivery. Phil is passionate about the opportunities his new role presents to improve health and wellbeing outcomes and reduce health inequalities for the people of Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent. To learn more, please email ssotics.comms@staffsstoke.icb.nhs.uk Deputy CEO and Chief Finance Officer Chief Officer System Development and Integration Chief Officer Strategy and Improving Outcomes Vice Chair and Chair of Finance Committee Chair of Quality and Safety Committee Non Executive Director and Chair of Strategic Commissioning and Transformation Committee Non-Executive Chair of People, Culture and Organisational Development Committee Chief Executive, North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust, Mental Health Member Chief Executive Officer, University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust, Partner Member Chief Executive, Staffordshire County Council, Partner Member City Director, City of Stoke-on-Trent Council, Partner Member

Primary Care Partner Member

City Director, City of Stoke-on-Trent Council, Partner Member

Vanessa Whatley

Chief Nursing Officer

Vanessa’s extensive career in nursing and quality improvement spans various senior roles across both acute and community services. Before becoming the Chief Nursing Officer at Shropshire Telford and Wrekin ICB, she held key positions such as Deputy Chief Nurse, Head of Nursing, and Lead Nurse for Infection Prevention at trusts in Birmingham and Wolverhampton. She also worked as a Programme Lead for Infection Prevention and Control at the West Midlands Strategic Health Authority. Her qualifications include a Professional Nurse Advocate certification, a postgraduate certificate in research, and a master’s degree in healthcare leadership. Vanessa’s professional interests encompass quality improvement, strategic leadership in public health to address health inequalities, the health and wellbeing of healthcare staff, nurse and AHP-led research opportunities, leadership in women’s health, prevention of harm, palliative and end-of-life care, and out-of-hospital services. She is particularly passionate about empowering nurses and AHPs to work at the top of their license and championing quality improvement. Outside of work, Vanessa enjoys skiing, walking, exploring France, and spending time with her two teenagers and two spaniels. To learn more, please email ssotics.comms@staffsstoke.icb.nhs.uk Deputy CEO and Chief Finance Officer Chief Officer System Development and Integration Chief Officer Strategy and Improving Outcomes Vice Chair and Chair of Finance Committee Chair of Quality and Safety Committee Non Executive Director and Chair of Strategic Commissioning and Transformation Committee Non-Executive Chair of People, Culture and Organisational Development Committee Chief Executive, North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust, Mental Health Member Chief Executive Officer, University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust, Partner Member Chief Executive, Staffordshire County Council, Partner Member City Director, City of Stoke-on-Trent Council, Partner Member

Shokat Lal

Non-Executive Chair of People, Culture and Organisational Development Committee

Shokat Lal joins the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board (ICB) from Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council where he has worked since May 2020 as Executive Director of Core Services, Deputy Returning Officer and Senior Information Risk Owner. Overseeing a directorate of nearly 900 people, he is responsible for IT, Customer Services, Human Resources and Organisational Development, Legal, Elections, Governance Services, Finance, Revenues and Benefits, Audit, Commercial, Communications and Marketing – in addition to overseeing the council’s transformation programme. For the previous four years, Shokat was Assistant Chief Executive at Rotherham Council where he was part of the senior leadership team responsible for bringing the council out of intervention. This followed three years at Coventry City Council as Assistant Director for Human Resources and Workforce Services. Shokat also worked as a lay member and non-executive director for various NHS boards and was most recently Vice Chair and Lay Board Member at Derbyshire Clinical Commissioning Group from 2013 to 2019. To learn more, please email ssotics.comms@staffsstoke.icb.nhs.uk Deputy CEO and Chief Finance Officer Chief Officer System Development and Integration Chief Officer Strategy and Improving Outcomes Vice Chair and Chair of Finance Committee Chair of Quality and Safety Committee Non Executive Director and Chair of Strategic Commissioning and Transformation Committee Non-Executive Chair of People, Culture and Organisational Development Committee Chief Executive, North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust, Mental Health Member Chief Executive Officer, University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust, Partner Member Chief Executive, Staffordshire County Council, Partner Member City Director, City of Stoke-on-Trent Council, Partner Member