Interim chairwoman appointed by Bedfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group

Sheila Childerhouse, a non-executive director of the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust, brings a wealth of experience to the role having served as a non-executive director and chair of various regional health bodies since 1984.

She has led primary care trusts including, most recently, NHS Norfolk and Waveney, and she has chaired provider trusts including Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn NHS Foundation Trust.

She is currently Sheila will lead BCCG’s governing body for six months. During that time she will focus on further developing the board as a confident, strategic and challenging part of the organisation. She will also play a key role in recruiting a permanent chair.

Sheila said: “This is a really exciting opportunity for me. I have significant experience in commissioning that could be of use given the CCGs are still relatively new organisations. Over the coming six months I hope to see Bedfordshire CCG’s place in a well-functioning local health system fully established.”

Originally from an education background, Sheila was a local councillor for Breckland Council in Norfolk for more than 20 years.

She has also led rural and urban regeneration organisations and has been a board member of the East of England Development Agency.

She is currently a school governor at a Norfolk primary school and trustee of the Charles Burrell Museum, a steam engine collection in Thetford.