West Midlands health chiefs receive honorary awards

Jon Crockett, Chief Executive of Wolverhampton City Primary Care Trust, and Elisabeth Buggins, Chair of NHS West Midlands, received awards from the School of Health and Wellbeing.

They both received Honorary Degrees of Doctor of Science in recognition of their considerable contribution to healthcare at ceremonies at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre on Monday, 6 September 2010.

Jon said: “It is a tremendous honour to receive this award from the University. Wolverhampton is my home town and I have had the great pleasure to have now worked in the NHS in the city for over 25 years. Throughout that time I have been astonished at the sheer commitment and hard work of NHS staff and I am proud of all we have achieved locally. It has been a privilege to serve this city.”

Elisabeth added: “It is a great privilege to be awarded this honorary degree, especially in recognition of my work with health services, from which I continue to derive real satisfaction.

“I would like to thank the University of Wolverhampton for this honour and I am very proud to receive this award.”

Jon Crockett

Jon Crockett is Chief Executive of Wolverhampton City Primary Care Trust - a position he has held since its creation in April 2002.

Born and educated in Wolverhampton, he went on to gain a degree in economics from Staffordshire University and is also a qualified accountant.

He began his career in 1976 in the finance department of Wolverhampton Council, followed by a spell with Solihull Council. He joined the health service in 1985 as Chief Internal Auditor and was appointed Director of Finance for the former Wolverhampton Health Authority in 1993 and Chief Executive in 2001.

In 2003 he was elected President of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy for the Midlands (CIPFA) – an appointment he held for two years and remains a Regional Council member.

He chairs the Wolverhampton Strategic Partnership; the Black Country Cardiovascular Network; the Staffordshire, Shropshire, Black Country Newborn Network; the Black Country Workforce Locality Stakeholder Board; and the Regional Project for Investing for Health–Transforming the Workforce.

He was a member of the National Pathology Services Project Board and is also Health Service Director of the Black Country Consortium (regeneration), theBlack Country Employment and Skills Board, Modernising Scientific Careers - Reference Group and is a trustee of the Believe to Achieve local children’s charity.

Elisabeth Buggins

Elisabeth Buggins, Chair of West Midlands Strategic Health Authority, trained as a health service manager before leaving the NHS to look after three children with a variety of special needs. For 18 years she worked with the voluntary sector on local, national and European projects that interface with health services. As an extension of this Elisabeth ran a post-graduate module on Patient and Public Involvement at Warwick University and assists boards and multi-agency partnerships to develop their strategic thinking and plan for change.

For nearly six years Elisabeth chaired an NHS Trust providing community, mental health and learning disability services. During that time she was West Midlands Regional Lead for the NHS Confederation; chaired the National Communications Policy Committee; and represented the NHS on the West Midlands Regional Assembly. She was a Non-executive Director for the National Blood Authority and then the NHS Blood and Transplant Authority for nine years and chaired the UK Organ Donation Taskforce, publishing three major reports on ways to improve organ donation.

In 2009 Elisabeth was appointed as Programme Lead for Board Development for the NHS National Leadership Council. Her ambition is to make health services more responsive to patients and more satisfying for staff. Elisabeth received a CBE in the New Years honours list 2007/8 and has been appointed Deputy Lieutenant (DL).

ENDS

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