NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board

Dr James Thomas

Executive Medical Director

With his support, the Clinical Forum has led on the development of an ethical standard clinical framework. James also implemented the Partnership's Health Inequality Academy, which involved working together with partners to reduce health inequalities due to social and geographical barriers and addressing some of the preventable differences. This was recognised as an example of good practice nationally. As a member of the integrated care board, alongside the director of nursing, James provides leadership to the clinical and professional directorate and across the Partnership. "I am really looking forward to continuing my working relationship with all colleagues I work alongside. I am also grateful for this opportunity and pleased to be part of the integrated care board as we continue to develop our integrated care system, whilst delivering high-quality care".

Ian Currell

Interim Executive Director of Finance

He will also continue our approach to partnership and maintaining good relationships as we work transition into new ways of working.

Ian Holmes

Executive Director of Strategic Commissioning and Partnerships

Ian joined West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership as Director in August 2016. He leads the strategy and partnership directorate, which provides support and infrastructure to our leadership across West Yorkshire. Since November 2019, Ian has worked one day per week as a National Systems Advisor for NHS England / Improvement on national integrated care system policy design, working with other systems to support their development. ‘I have loved working in the partnership over the last six years and it has been great to be part of it as it has grown and flourished. It is an absolute privilege for me to continue in this role. The move to statutory integrated care board arrangements represents an important next step for us. The challenges ahead of us are significant, but I am confident we have the leadership, relationships and delivery focus to tackle them head on’.

Julie Clennell

Executive Director of Nursing

Laura Ellis

Director of Corporate Services

Before joining the ICB, Laura was Head of Corporate Governance for NHS Kirklees Clinical Commissioning Group. She has worked in a number of corporate affairs roles in the NHS since 2013. Prior to this, Laura worked in democratic services in Local Authorities including Kirklees Council, Wakefield Council and Lancaster City Council.

Brendan Brown

Chief Executive, The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Before Calderdale, Brendan served as Chief Executive at Airedale NHSFT alongside his role of System Partnership Lead for the Airedale, Wharfedale & Craven Partnership. He had previously held the position of Executive Director of Nursing/Deputy Chief Executive at both Calderdale & Huddersfield and Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trusts. Brendan has a clinical and therapeutic background, and holds a Masters with Distinction from the University of Nottingham. He has a proven track record for health and care leadership, and consistent improvements in the delivery of healthcare across hospital and community settings.

Dr Richard Vautrey

Partner member, primary medical services

Richard brings a wealth of clinical expertise and has been working as a GP leader within the Partnership since it began in 2016. He is the GP representative on the Partnership’s Tactical Leadership Executive Group, which meets weekly, and has been the interim partner member for primary care. Richard will bring with him extensive experience from work locally and nationally, alongside his passion and energy to improve health care services and reduce health inequalities across West Yorkshire. His other experience includes being an officer of Leeds Local Medical Committee since 1999 and representing GPs in Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield on the British Medical Association Council (BMA) GP committee since 2001. He was elected nationally by his peers to both the Royal College of General Practitioners Council and the British Medical Association, where he has been a member since 2010. Richard was also the Deputy Chair and Governance Lead from 2016-2021 for ‘All We Can’ , a relief and development charity. He has recently been appointed as a Trustee Board Member of MHA , the UK’s largest charity care provider. "Being appointed as a member of the ICB Board is an honour and privilege. To be able to continue my work in a forward-thinking partnership as a board member which represents the work of my peers is a role I take very seriously, particularly at this time when NHS and care services are under so much pressure and the need for care so great. Throughout my career I have been fortunate to work alongside some of the best clinicians in the country who are committed to improving patient care and population health outcomes. The values of the Partnership to deliver the best care possible across West Yorkshire, whilst striving together to tackle health inequalities, are ones I share and will do all I can to help achieve. I’m very much looking forward to making further connections to improve the health of all living across our area."

Dr Sara Munro

Chief Executive, Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Ed Whiting

Chief Executive, Leeds City Council

Most recently, Ed was Director for Cities and Local Growth, leading a joint unit shared between the Business and Communities Departments working on the Government’s local economic growth priorities. Between 2016 and 2022, Ed was Director of Strategy at the Wellcome Trust, where he led the creation of a new strategy to solve the urgent health challenges of infectious disease, mental health and the impact of climate change on health. He developed new global policy and strategic partnerships functions and sponsored Wellcome’s new mental health research and equity, diversity and inclusion programmes.

Jane Madeley

Non-Executive Member - Audit, Finance and Innovation

Jane was previously a non-executive director for Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust Board, where she was Chair of the Audit Committee. Jane also brings her experience of being a steering group member of the Yorkshire 2% Club, which supported mid-career-level women to develop and plan how they might move into board level roles. She is currently a Trustee of the Hepworth Wakefield and lives with her family in West Yorkshire. "I’m delighted to be appointed to the integrated care board and look forward to working with the leadership of the West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership as we establish the new board. I will be keen that we focus on identifying how we can best support and bring further value to the Partnership in its mission to improve the health and wellbeing of the population we serve and in so doing to reduce health inequalities."

Liz Towns Andrews

Non-Executive Member

Liz is a PhD chemist and X-ray crystallographer by training and has extensive experience of working at the academic-industry-public sector interface. She was Director of Innovation for the Science and Technology Facilities Research Council before joining the University of Huddersfield and led the development of the National Science and Innovation Campuses in Cheshire and Oxfordshire. She is 3M Professor of Innovation and until December 2020, was Director of Research and Enterprise for the University. In 2013, Liz received a Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion for establishing the 3M Buckley Innovation Centre and received an OBE in 2020 for services to Business, to Enterprise and to Public and Private Sector Collaboration. Liz lives in Derbyshire and has family who live in West Yorkshire.

Majid Hussain

Joint Vice Chair and Non-Executive Member - Workforce and Equalities

Majid is currently a specialist advisor on race equality for NHS Providers. He brings with him a wealth of experience and expertise on organisation culture and multi partnership working around diversity and inclusion strategy. This includes driving effectiveness of equality initiatives, monitoring data trends in employment and service delivery.

Professor Nadira Mirza

Non-Executive Member for Citizens and Future Generations

She has significant experience of working at Board level nationally and internationally and in the NHS, where she has been Deputy Chair, Maternity Safety Champion and Senior Independent Director in NHS Non-Executive Director (NED) roles in the Bradford District and Craven Place system. Nadira was also acting chair of the ICB from July 2025 to March 2026. Nadira is also Professor of Lifelong Learning and Social Mobility at Leeds Trinity University, and she works with Born in Bradford. She was previously the Dean of Lifelong Education and Development at the University of Bradford and most recently was Deputy Chair for Airedale NHS Foundation Trust . In her role at the ICB, Nadira will focus on amplifying the voices of local people and embedding future generations’ needs into strategic decisions. She will draw on her extensive experience working with NHS Trusts, educational institutions, and voluntary organisations to further collaboration, innovation, and co-production across the region.