NHS Cheshire and Merseyside February 2026 Blog
Friday, 13 February 2026
We are pleased to announce that NHS Cheshire and Merseyside’s Deputy Medical Director Dr Fiona Lemmens has been appointed as our new Executive Clinical Director.
Fiona will provide senior clinical leadership and work to ensure safe, high-quality, person-centred care while driving clinical governance, quality assurance and system-wide improvement.
We are also pleased to confirm that Ben Vinter has been appointed as NHS Cheshire and Merseyside’s new Executive Director of Corporate Services and Governance.
Ben, who joins us from Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, will provide strategic leadership for all corporate functions, ensuring robust governance, legal compliance and organisational resilience.
On 15 January, we were delighted to welcome the national lead for the Neighbourhood Health Programme, Dr Minal Bakhai, to see how national ‘pioneer’ areas Sefton and St Helens are leading the way in bringing better care closer to home.
A key priority of the 10 Year Health Plan, the Neighbourhood Health Programme will transform health by moving services from hospitals into communities, integrating health and social care teams, supporting people with complex needs and improving access to healthcare.
To help achieve these aims, Sefton and St Helens will continue to share good practice with fellow pioneer sites across the country, all the while providing valuable insight to partners across Cheshire and Merseyside.
On World Cancer Day (4 February), the government published its National Cancer Plan for England, which sets out how the NHS will improve cancer diagnosis, treatment and outcomes over the next decade.
In Cheshire and Merseyside, we are proud to be leading the way nationally as the first health system to develop an urgent cancer care strategy and transformation programme.
This work is bringing together services to provide greater access to urgent and emergency care for cancer patients, helping them to avoid A&E attendances and hospital admissions where possible.
As a cancer nurse by background, I know how important it is to deliver compassionate care that is responsive and joined up, and the national plan gives us an opportunity to build on the innovative work already taking place in our region.
Best wishes,
Liz Bishop
Chief Executive
NHS Cheshire and Merseyside