The youngest Non-Executive Director in the NHS has been appointed at Wirral Community Health NHS Foundation Trust and Care and Wirral University Teaching Hospital.
Haris Sultan, 23, has been announced as the new Joint Non-Executive Director for the two Trusts and has big ambitions for his new role.
He said:
I want the NHS to be a health service that the future generations will be proud of. I’d like to be one of the Non-Executive Directors that champions transformation and innovation.
Haris is a medical student at the University of Liverpool and has taken a year out to study an MBA at UCL’s Global Business School for Health, while also working in this new role at the two Trusts which are undergoing a process of integration to become one organisation.
He said:
I’ve had an amazing welcome. I absolutely love the Wirral and our values align.
I’m really excited about the integration. It will be better for staff and will benefit patients. It’s very exciting time and with the NHS 10 Year Plan, we have a unique chance to shift the dial and do all this great work.
I want to turn the organisations inside out and it’s about reaching out to the community. As Board members we need to be out talking to people and I want to make sure the Board is accessible to people. I really want to help support the organisation in being proactive.
Haris brings valuable insight and experience to the role having previously worked with Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust, where he founded the Youth Board, and serving on the West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board following his appointment as the NExT Director (Associate Non-Executive Director) for Citizens and Future Generations.
Nationally, Haris has led initiatives with NHS England on health inequalities and has helped shape policy through his two-year tenure on NHS England’s Children and Young People’s Programme Board.
Having achieved so much at such an early stage in his career, Haris added:
I realised very quickly that I’m only young once.
I bring the perspective of the patient who has waited for treatment, so I understand it from a patient point of view. From a management perspective, I’m aware of what best practice looks like. I also bring the perspective of a medical student and being part of that future workforce. I want to help create an organisation that I’m proud to work for in the future.
What makes the NHS, is the people that work for it. One of the beautiful things about the UK is the NHS and the fact that it is accessible to everyone.
Joint Trust Chair, Sir David Henshaw, said:
We are absolutely delighted to welcome Haris to our Boards as a joint Non-Executive Director. His appointment brings a fresh perspective, a deep commitment to equity, and a passion for improving health outcomes for current and future generations.
Haris’ experience across local and national NHS roles, combined with his insight as a medical student and advocate for young people and underrepresented communities, will be a tremendous asset to both our organisations.
