Former Health Secretary, Patricia Hewitt, Chair of NHS Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board (ICB) has announced the appointment of a fourth new Non-Executive Member of the board.

Aliona Derrett has been appointed as Non-Executive Member of the ICB board and Chair of the Patient and Communities Committee and also the Quality and Safety Committee.

Aliona is a speech and language therapist who qualified in Moldova, where she is from, before moving to the UK. She has over 26 years’ experience of working within the charitable, public and private sectors in Norfolk, UK and across Europe.  She is an experienced chief executive, a change management and transformation consultant, and is currently leading Hear for Norfolk, a local charity supporting people with hearing loss.

Aliona has strong expertise in developing and improving the performance and quality of services and organisations, with a particular focus on achieving positive outcomes for service users. She focused her career on working within, and with, health and social care organisations, with particular interest in reaching and helping the most vulnerable, marginalised and disadvantaged people and communities.

Aliona said: “I am very honoured to be joining the Norfolk and Waveney ICB at such a crucial and exciting time.

“I am looking forward to making my contribution to the integration of health and social care services locally, help improve the healthcare services in Norfolk and Waveney and make a real and tangible difference to people in our community.

“I look forward to bringing the voice and needs of our local communities to the decision-making ‘table’ within NHS Norfolk and Waveney ICB.”

NHS Norfolk and Waveney is the NHS organisation with responsibility for planning to meet local health needs, allocating resources, ensuring that services are in place to deliver against ambitions, and overseeing delivery of improved outcomes for the people of Norfolk and Waveney.

Tackling inequalities in health outcomes, the NHS Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board (ICB) is part of the Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care System, working with partners in local government, the voluntary sector and others and helping the NHS to support broader social and economic development.

The independent non-executive members provide a creative and innovative contribution to the board, by providing independent oversight and constructive challenge.

Rt Hon Patricia Hewitt, Chair of NHS Norfolk and Waveney said: “I’m delighted to be able to announce the appointment of Aliona Derrett as Non-Executive Member and Chair of the Patient and Communities Committee and also the Quality and Safety Committee.

“We had a number of excellent candidates for this important role. But Aliona particularly impressed us with the breadth of her experience working with many different communities and groups of patients, service users and carers. She is a passionate advocate for people who are not always listened to or included in decision-making about public services and I know she will play a very important role in ensuring that we put patients and residents first.”