Larrey Society’s New Leadership Team For Future Growth

The Larrey Society, the cross-sector “think tank” for emergency medical services, has appointed its first Board of Directors and a group of specialist advisers to lead its long-term future growth and development, it was announced today (21 October 2015).

David Davis, who personally founded the Society in the UK in March this year said: “The creation of a management structure now is particularly timely because the Society’s reputation is growing quickly as is its membership which is already approaching 250 EMS professionals in 16 countries.

“This achievement from scratch in such a short space of time is quite remarkable but more importantly it also confirms that the Society has touched a hidden nerve of need among the EMS community worldwide for an opportunity to express their concerns and to engage with healthcare policymakers to influence the future direction of emergency medical services.”

Effective 1st January 2016 the Society will be run by a Board of Directors of The Larrey Society Ltd, a not for profit company limited by guarantee, and supported by a group of key advisers.

Davis will be Chairman of the Board. A former journalist and healthcare communications specialist, he is a special trustee of the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust Charity. The other directors will be:

• Alan Carter, Strategy & Change Director, G4S Patient Transport Services. With more than 20 years’ experience in the ambulance service, he was previously Head of Commissioning Patient Transport Services East Elmbridge & Mid Surrey PCT. He is currently  a trustee of East Surrey Rural Transport Partnership;

• Adam Layland, Senior Operations Manager, West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust. He is member of the Institute of Healthcare Managers, a volunteer Ambassador for the Chartered Management Institute and Parliamentary Lead for the College of Paramedics.

• Gordon Miles, Chief Executive, Royal College of Emergency Medicine since 2010.  He was previously with the General Dental Council, Dental Complaints Service and Department of Health;

• Benita Playfoot, Chief Executive, The Healthcare Landscape Consultancy. A qualified nurse she has over 35 years’ clinical experience within the acute, primary care and strategic health authority sectors. She specialises in regulatory and governance issues;

• Sandy Young, Chairman, Southern Ambulance Services.  He is currently Chairman of Optima Health, independent UK provider of occupational health services and previously Chief Executive, Allied Healthcare International Inc.

The Society’s leadership will also comprise a group of specialist advisers who will lead on specific work programmes. They are:

• David Cranmer, Founder of Medic Now, the UK ambulance recruitment agency.  Having started his career in management consulting at Accenture, he later co-founded a specialist patient transport business;

• Bob Fellows, Senior Paramedic Tutor at London Ambulance Service NHS Trust delivering education training and development to LAS students and to Foundation and BSc degree based Paramedic Science students at the University of Hertfordshire;

• Edward James, Workstream Lead – Estates, Facilities & Professional Services, NHSL London Procurement Partnership.  He has been in the NHS since 2006 working in project management, turnaround and procurement;

• Rob Lawrence, Chief Operating Officer, Richmond Ambulance Authority, USA since 2008. Previously he was with East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust as Chief Operating Officer for Suffolk;

• Andy Proctor, Head of Safeguarding West Midlands Ambulance Service. He is Vice Chair the National Ambulance Safeguarding Group (NASG) and also a specialist advisor with the Care Quality Commission;

• Michael Wood, Senior European Manager, NHS Confederation.  He was previously with the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.

“The bringing together of this group of individuals from public and private sector  organisations who are committed to collaborate and  work together in the best interest of all patients is an important breakthrough in healthcare community relationships” Davis added.