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Richard Douglas (civil servant)

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For other people named Richard Douglas, see Richard Douglas (disambiguation).

Sir Richard Philip Douglas CB (born 20 November 1956 in York, Yorkshire) is a British former senior civil servant and influential health leader. He previously served as Director General for Finance, Strategy and the NHS at the Department of Health.[1]

Early life

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Douglas attended Archbishop Holgate's School in York, and after completing his A-levels, he studied for a BA in English Literature at the University of Hull. After graduating, he married in 1978 and embarked upon his civil service career the same year.

Civil Service career

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Douglas started his career in public sector finance in 1978 with HM Customs and Excise,[2] and later the National Audit Office (NAO) where he qualified as an accountant (CIPFA) in 1983.[2] He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy.[3] In his time with the NAO, he worked in most areas of central government: health, employment, home affairs, defence and agriculture.

Prior to 2001, when he was appointed as NHS finance director, Douglas was finance director at National Savings.[4]

Retiring from the civil service in April 2015, Douglas was the longest-serving Director General of Finance in the UK Government, having served since 2007.[5] From 2011 to 2014, Douglas also served as head of the Government Finance Profession, a position appointed by HM Treasury.[3] He was said by the Health Service Journal to be the twelfth most powerful person in the English NHS in December 2013.[6]

In March 2016, Douglas became deputy chair of NHS Improvement. During this time, he stepped in as interim chair from July to October 2017.[7][8] In June 2018, he was appointed as a non-executive director at NHS England.[9][10] He stepped down from the NHS England and NHS Improvement boards in March 2020.[11][12]

Since 2020, he has chaired the South East London integrated care system (ICS), where he is responsible for overseeing healthcare planning and delivery.[13][14]

Personal life

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Douglas is married with three children.[citation needed]

Honours and awards

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In 2003 he was awarded membership of The Gild of Freemen of the City of York, the city in which he was born.[citation needed]

In the 2006 New Year Honours he was made a companion of the Order of the Bath (CB).[15] He was knighted in the 2024 Birthday Honours.[16]

References

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  1. ^ "Our people". Incisive Health. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Richard Douglas rewarded for civil service career". Civil Service World. 24 June 2020. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Richard Douglas". hfma.org.uk. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  4. ^ Brown, Steve (14 February 2001). "Profile: Richard Douglas". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  5. ^ "Revealed: Former NHS Money Boss Richard Douglas Is Now Working for the People Trying to Dismantle It". vice.com. 3 March 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  6. ^ "HSJ100 2013 The annual list of the most influential people in health". Health Service Journal. 11 December 2013. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
  7. ^ "Douglas takes over as NHS Improvement chair | Public Finance". publicfinance.co.uk. 21 July 2017. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  8. ^ "HM Government Public Appointments: Chair – NHS Improvement". Cabinet Office. 20 October 2017. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  9. ^ "Non-Executive Director of NHS England". 16 January 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  10. ^ "New health leaders to drive health and care in London". NHS England. 16 January 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  11. ^ "Monitor: Annual Report and Accounts 2019/20" (PDF). NHS Improvement. 28 January 2021. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  12. ^ "NHS England: Annual Report and Accounts 2019/20" (PDF). NHS England. 28 January 2021. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  13. ^ "New Chair announced for South East London Integrated Care System". NHS Bromley CCG. 16 January 2020. Archived from the original on 22 June 2021 – via Internet Archive.
  14. ^ "Integrated Care Board Leaders". South East London ICS. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  15. ^ "New Year Honours List 2006" (PDF). number10.gov.uk. 1 January 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 January 2007. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
  16. ^ Clover, Ben. "ICB boss and chief nurse awarded top honours". Health Service Journal. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
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