[6] In 2006 he was appointed as chief executive of the NHS South Central strategic health authority (covering the area from Oxford to the Isle of Wight).
He was Director-General for Commissioning and System Management for the National Health Service (NHS) of England (July 2007-September 2009).
He was said to have expressed an interest in the post of NHS chief executive in 2006 (when David Nicholson was appointed) and to have applied again in 2013 (when Simon Stevens was instead the successful appointee).
He also formally applied in 2021, when he (and Dido Harding) were both again unsuccessful, being beaten in the open competition for the role by Amanda Pritchard.
[17] It is a response to the warning from the World Health Organization that by 2030 there will be a global shortage of around 18 million healthcare workers – about a fifth of the required workforce.
[19] Via KPMG he was a member of the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on the Future of the Health Sector for four years.
"[4] In the light of the subsequent controversy, KPMG issued a press statement on his behalf on 16 May 2011 which did not deny the accuracy of the quotations, but asserted that "The article in The Observer [15 May] attributes quotes to me that do not properly reflect discussions held at a private conference last October.