Chairman, NHS Improvement

Ed Smith CBE, FCA, CPFA, Hon DUniv, Hon LLDs

Biography

Ed Smith is the Chairman of NHS Improvement.

Ed is the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council at the University of Birmingham and Treasurer of Chatham House.

From January 2015 to October 2017 Ed was the lead non-executive director for the Department for Transport.

Ed was the former Global Assurance Chief Operating Officer and Strategy Chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Before retiring he had a successful 30-year career with PwC, holding many leading board and top client roles in the UK and globally as a Senior Partner.

Register of interests

  • Chairman, NHS Improvement
  • Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, University of Birmingham
  • Member of Council and Treasurer, Chatham House
  • Chairman, Caterham School
  • Non-executive director, NHS Property Services

Chairman, NHS Improvement

From 1 April 2016, NHS Improvement brings together Monitor, NHS Trust Development Authority, Patient Safety, the National Reporting and Learning System, the Advancing Change Team and the Intensive Support Teams.

NHS Improvement is responsible for overseeing foundation trusts and NHS trusts, as well as independent providers that provide NHS-funded care. It offers the support these providers need to give patients consistently safe, high quality, compassionate care within local health systems that are financially sustainable.

By holding providers to account and, where necessary, intervening, NHS Improvement will help the NHS to meet its short-term challenges and secure its future.

Previous roles in government

  • Lead non-executive director and non-executive board member with responsibility for the Union