The Partnership Board of King’s Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC) has appointed Lord Butler of Brockwell as its first independent Chair.
King’s Health Partners was one of just five UK Academic Health Sciences Centres accredited earlier this year. Its members are King’s College London and Guy’s and St Thomas, King’s College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts.
Madeliene Long, Chair of South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and Interim Chair of the Partnership Board during accreditation said: “In the eight months since King’s Health Partners was accredited we have made significant progress in establishing our alliance. Plans for the introduction of Clinical Academic Groups have really begun to take shape and we have undertaken a consultation across the partnership on our strategy.
“Lord Butler joins us at a really exciting time, and his wealth of experience will be of immense value in helping us develop an AHSC that delivers real and lasting benefits to the patients we serve.”
Professor Rick Trainor, Principal of King’s College London said: “We are delighted that Lord Butler is joining us as our first Chair. He has outstanding experience in supporting, generating and implementing policy through his years as Secretary of the Cabinet and Head of the Home Civil Service, and will be ideally placed to act as an advocate for King’s Health Partners.
“He also has a profound understanding of the challenges of sustaining academic excellence as a result of his time as Master of University College Oxford and we feel he will bring a completely fresh and insightful mind to the issues facing our Academic Health Sciences Centre.”
Robin Butler had a high profile career in the civil service from 1961 until 1998, serving as private secretary to four prime ministers and was Secretary of the Cabinet and Head of the Home Civil Service from 1988 to 1998.
Commenting on his appointment Lord Butler said: “The new Academic Health Sciences Centres will be at the leading edge of medical science and translational research in the UK, and I am delighted to be joining King’s Health Partners at the start of what I am convinced will be a very exciting future.”
Speaking on Lord Butler’s appointment, Professor Robert Lechler, Executive Director of King’s Health Partners said: “Lord Butler will bring a wealth of experience to King’s Health Partners at this crucial stage of development and we are honoured that he will be our Chair. With extensive experience in government and substantial knowledge of the education system, Lord Butler will be an invaluable asset to King’s Health Partners.”
