Waller, currently deputy chief finance officer leading on strategic finance and planning at NHS England, has held various senior roles at NHSE and in the Civil Service. This includes working as director of primary care for England, in which he led development of the five-year contract deals for GPs and community pharmacists that supported the NHS Long Term Plan.

He was the NHS senior responsible officer for the response to Covid-19 across primary care; this included a period working as part of the successful Covid vaccination programme where he was responsible for establishing arrangements for the network of GP and community pharmacy vaccination sites.

Waller's role at NHS Kent and Medway will include executive oversight of strategic transformational change programmes and strategic transformation across our four health and care partnerships, provider collaboratives and clinical networks to support integration of health and care services. He will also be responsible for development and delivery of the main integrated care board strategies, including Kent and Medway Integrated Care Strategy and the NHS Strategy for Kent and Medway.

Paul Bentley, NHS Kent and Medway chief executive, said: ‘I am really delighted that Ed is joining us to help us continue to develop as an integrated care board, working closely with our partners across Kent and Medway's Integrated Care System.

‘His excellent experience, knowledge and understanding of what is needed will stand him in good stead when he begins his role.''

Waller will take up his new role in the spring.