Pharmacy Voice welcomes the appointment of Ash Soni as joint-lead of new public health workstream

Date: 19 08 2011

Pharmacy Voice has welcomed the appointment of Ash Soni as joint-lead of one of the four new workstreams for the NHS Future Forum announced by health secretary Andrew Lansley yesterday (18 August 2011).

Ash will be responsible for looking at the NHS’s contribution to public health alongside Vicky Bailey, chief operating officer of the social enterprise Principia.

The NHS Future Forum will continue to be chaired by Professor Steve Field. Other workstreams include:

• An integration workstream, which will study integration between health and social care, as well as within the NHS. It will be co-chaired by Geoff Alltimes, chief executive of Hammersmith Borough Council and Dr Robert Varnam, a GP who led on commissioning for the RCGP
• An information workstream, which will be co-chaired by Jeremy Taylor, chief executive of patient group National Voices and Professor David Haslam, president of the British Medical Association
• An education and training workstream, which will be chaired by Julie Moore, chief executive of University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust

Rob Darracott, chief executive of Pharmacy Voice said:

“Ash is a respected figure who brings a wealth of expertise, knowledge and leadership to the working group – this appointment is a vote of confidence in Ash and the fact that a pharmacist has been appointed to this influential position is great news for our sector. Ash is highly capable of articulating the contribution our sector has to play in improving outcomes and inequalities.”