Wanted: man or woman with the hide of a rhino and nerves of steel to run a national healthcare service spending £212 billion or so a year, employing 1.3 million people and treating one million patients every 36 hours.
The job: to be the next chief executive of NHS England, taking over from Sir Simon Stevens who steps down at the end of next month.
After the Prime Minister, the Chancellor and the Governor of the Bank of England, the role is arguably the fourth most vital in the country. Such is the quasi-religious status given to the UK’s health service, whoever takes on this role has to be mother of the nation as well as being a visionary of what healthcare might look like in 20 years’ time. And knows how to implement that vision.
Tories heading for Cleverly v Badenoch run off
It’s uncertain where centrist Tugendhat’s twenty voters will now go. Though it is highly unlikely that Jenrick will pick up any.
