Marie Gabriel appointed Chair of NHS Race & Health Observatory

Marie Gabriel CBE, has been appointed to lead the NHS work programme into the impact of race and ethnicity on people’s health, Chief Executive Sir Simon Stevens announced today at NHS England and NHS Improvement’s public board meeting. A longstanding health leader and advocate on inequalities, Marie will lead the NHS Race and Health Observatory (RHO), which has been tasked with identifying and tackling the specific health challenges facing people from black, Asian and ethnic minority (BAME) backgrounds in England today. The RHO is hosted by the NHS Confederation.

Ms Gabriel is currently Chair of North East London STP, and Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust, and has previously chaired East London NHS Foundation Trust, NHS North East London, and the City and Newham Primary Care Trust, following over two decades in senior executive roles within local government, housing and the third sector. Marie also has a number of national strategic NHS roles including as Chair of the NHS WRES Strategic Advisory Group, and as Board Member of NHS Confederation’s Mental Health Network, NHS Employers Policy Board and NHS People Plan Advisory Group.

Commenting on her appointment, Marie Gabriel said: “I am absolutely delighted to have been appointed as Chair of the Race and Health Observatory and I am really looking forward to working with colleagues to evidence, share and support true improvement in achieving race equity.

“The Observatory is a critical next step in the NHS race equality journey. It will ensure that we harness the expertise of both our academics and of our communities, it will challenge but also support the implementation of practical solutions and in so doing seek to radically address the health inequalities experienced by black and minority ethnic communities.

“Achieving equity has always been my prime motivator and I truly believe that the ambitions of the Observatory provide an opportunity for us all to systematically improve the access, experience and outcomes of BME communities.”

NHS chief executive, Sir Simon Stevens, said: “Good health and access to good care is a right that everyone should expect, regardless of their race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexuality or socio-economic status. The coronavirus pandemic has injected fresh urgency into the need to turn this right into reality, including for people from black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds.

“Although tackling wider inequalities cannot fall to the NHS alone, the health service has to both listen and lead if it is going to be part of the solution. The Observatory will bring together expertise to offer practical, useful suggestions for change, and I look forward to working with Marie in this important new role.”

The ROH will continuing to appoint independent experts to its steering group, and the Observatory is expected to be fully established later this year.

Lord Victor Adebowale, chair of NHS Confederation, said: “We are thrilled that Marie has accepted the position of chair. She will be an incredible asset to the Observatory, as her passion for overcoming health inequalities, as well as her far-reaching experience as a leader in the NHS, give her the insight and wisdom needed to lead in this extremely important area.

“The COVID-19 crisis has cast an inescapable spotlight on racial inequalities, as Black and minority ethnic communities and healthcare staff have suffered a disproportionate impact from the pandemic. We look forward to working with Marie as the Observatory takes on the vital task of helping to transform the unjustly disparate outcomes for patients, communities and NHS staff, caused by racial inequality.”

NHS England and NHS Improvement has also moved to bolster its work on tackling workplace inequalities by appointing two new experts to its senior leadership team. Jenni Douglas-Todd and Mike Franklin will be joining the national NHS bodies as Joint Directors of Equality and Inclusion following an open recruitment process.

In their roles, they will work to ensure that equality and inclusion underpin and are at the forefront of workforce aspirations, including the delivery of the upcoming People Plan update, reporting directly to Prerana Issar, NHS chief people officer.

About Marie Gabriel CBE

Marie Gabriel, CBE, has over 18 years NHS Board experience and was appointed as Chair of the North East London STP/emerging Integrated Care System (ICS) on 1 April 2020.

Marie previously held the role of the Chair of East London NHS Foundation Trust, an ‘Outstanding’ provider of mental health and community health services in London, Bedfordshire and Luton. She also recently became Chair of Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust in February 2019. Prior to this, Marie chaired health-commissioning organisations including NHS North East London, and the City and Newham Primary Care Trust. Before that, she was Vice Chair of Newham University Hospital Trust.

Marie also has a number of national strategic NHS roles including as Chair of the NHS WRES Strategic Advisory Group, and as Board Member of NHS Confederation’s Mental Health Network, NHS Employers Policy Board and NHS People Plan Advisory Group.

Outside of the NHS, Marie took up her first Director level role at 23 and subsequently worked for over 20 years in senior executive roles within local government, housing and the third sector. She also provided management consultancy for the public and third sectors, specialising in working with Boards at times of crisis.

Marie’s honours include, Freedom of the London Borough of Newham; incorporation on the Health Service Journal’s inaugural ‘Inspirational Women’ list; and the Tony Cheeseman Award in recognition of her contribution to equality and the communities of East London. She received her CBE in the 2018 Queen’s Birthday Honours, for her service to the NHS.

About Jenni Douglas-Todd

Jenni Douglas-Todd is currently the Independent Chair of the Dorset Integrated Care System, where she is focused on reducing health inequalities, and Deputy chair and senior independent director at University Hospitals Southampton, where she has focused on developing a more diverse workforce. Her prior career spanned the probation service and Home Office, where she spent four years before becoming Director of policy and research for the Independent Police Complaints Commission. In the latter role she was responsible for establishing governance of the new police complaints system. In 2009, Jenni became Chief Executive and Monitoring Officer for Hampshire Police Authority and subsequently the Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner, and in 2014 took on the role of an investigating committee chair for the General Dental Council.

About Mike Franklin

Mike Franklin is one of the Non-Executive Directors for South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. He is a former commissioner with the Independent Police Complaints Commission, served as Her Majesty's Assistant Inspector of Constabulary, and has acted as a specialist assistant inspector for race and diversity across 43 police forces in England and Wales.