New CEO Appointed to Lead Merged Health Boards
Frances O’Callaghan to lead organisation responsible for over 4.5 million people
Frances O’Callaghan
October 3, 2025
Frances O’Callaghan has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of both the North Central London and North West London Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), as the two organisations prepare to merge into a single entity serving over 4.5 million people.
The newly combined organisation will be known as the West and North London ICB and is set to become the largest Integrated Care Board in England when formally established in April 2026. It will cover 13 London boroughs, including:
- North Central London: Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey, Islington
- North West London: Brent, Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Kensington & Chelsea, Westminster
The merger aims to streamline strategic commissioning, reduce duplication, and improve health outcomes across the region. Integrated Care Boards are responsible for planning and funding NHS services in their areas, working with local authorities, hospitals, GPs, and community organisations to deliver joined-up care.
Ms O’Callaghan, who has led the North Central London ICB since 2022, now takes on leadership of both boards to oversee the transition. She said: “We need to improve the lives of people across our area—particularly those experiencing the greatest inequity. To do that, we must understand our diverse communities and commission services that reflect their needs.”
Her appointment follows the recent naming of Mike Bell as Chair of both ICBs. He praised Ms O’Callaghan’s leadership and said the merger would focus on tackling health inequalities and delivering high-quality care across all boroughs.
The announcement also marks the departure of Rob Hurd, former CEO of North West London ICB, who was credited with building strong partnerships and advancing equality, diversity and inclusion during his tenure.
The West and North London ICB will play a central role in shaping NHS services across a vast and diverse region, with priorities including population health, service integration, and reducing disparities in access and outcomes.
Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We've always done that and won't be changing, in fact we'd like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we'd be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you'd like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |