Richard has dedicated his career to shaping health and care systems so they work better for the people who rely on them. As Deputy Chief Executive and Executive Director of Strategy, Digital and Commissioning, he leads the strategic development and commissioning of services across Norfolk and Suffolk — with a clear focus on improving outcomes and reducing health inequalities.
What drives Richard is a deep commitment to calling out inequity where it exists and reshaping how services are designed and delivered. He believes that when care is planned around need, access becomes fairer, outcomes improve, and people have better experiences of the NHS.
In his role, Richard oversees healthcare intelligence, strategy and planning, commissioning, digital transformation and system resilience. This includes leadership of urgent and emergency care, planned care (including elective, diagnostics and cancer), all-age mental health commissioning, winter and system resilience planning, specialised commissioning, the New Hospital Programme, and delivery of the system’s five-year strategy and commissioning plan. His work brings partners together to review services, identify gaps and redesign care so it is more responsive, sustainable and joined-up.
Richard has a wealth of experience across local government and the NHS — including roles as an officer, councillor and cabinet member, and senior leadership positions in regulatory, provider and commissioning organisations. He is proud to have supported Suffolk and North East Essex to achieve the only “NHS Oversight Framework Level 1” status in the country at the time, strengthened parity between mental and physical health, increased investment in the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector, and backed innovative services tackling health inequalities.
Colleagues know Richard as a values-driven leader: compassionate, honest and grounded in integrity. Meaning matters deeply to him — he is motivated by knowing that the work he leads makes a tangible difference to people, families and communities.
Outside work, Richard enjoys time with his family and his young son, travelling to new places around the world, and exploring genealogy. He is also a school governor and volunteers as a researcher for a charity helping people trace biological relatives through genetic genealogy. Family and friends keep him grounded — and remind him why improving health and care truly matters.