Group chair of Wolverhampton and Walsall Healthcare Trusts leaving post in March

The professor, who has been at the helm in Wolverhampton since 2019, and added Walsall to his portfolio in 2021, is leaving at the end of his current term.

He said: “I am pleased that now my term has come to a natural end I will be able to spend more time with my family and will be making a move to live in Cornwall, enabling me to slow down a little and enjoy my retirement.

“Having grown up in the Black Country, it has been a real privilege to give something back to a part of the country that I love - where many of my family and friends continue to live and use the local health services.

“I will continue with a few other commitments, including my recent appointment as an unpaid special ambassador for healthcare working for the UK government. I intend to take this opportunity to give these commitments the time they demand and deserve."

Professor Field added: “I will look back on my time as group chair with immense pride. I was very open and honest about some of the challenges we faced in Walsall in particular, but I am delighted at the progress that we have all made improving the quality of care for patients.

"Working in even closer partnership with Wolverhampton has brought about many benefits for our committed, hard-working staff, and nothing makes me happier than hearing their enthusiasm for this partnership and being able to share their achievements.

“Both Wolverhampton and Walsall have rightly received many plaudits because of ground-breaking integrated care work. This has included close partnership working with both councils which has been both very productive and very enjoyable.”

Professor Field is a GP who was a former chief inspector at the CQC, chair of the Royal College of GPs, chair of the government’s ‘Future Forum’ review in 2011, and chair of the NHS Constitution Advisory Forum.

Group chief executive, Professor David Loughton CBE, praised the outgoing chair after working closely with him in recent years including the pandemic.

He said: "We are sorry to see Steve leave his role, but we understand and support his reasons for doing so and want him to realise how invaluable his contribution has been during his time with us.

"Achieving greater integration between two organisations is never without its challenges but Steve has ensured we’ve always had patients and staff at the heart of everything we do. We wish him all the best for the future – an equally busy future by all accounts."