Health policy expert Matthew Swindells is new Citizens Advice national Chair
Health policy at government level and NHS leadership are among the accomplishments our new national Chair brings to Citizens Advice.
Matthew Swindells was voted in at a charity general meeting on Monday 5 February. He is currently Chair at North West London Acute Provider Collaborative that covers 4 hospital trusts and 12 acute hospitals.
Matthew’s connection to Citizens Advice goes back to his university days, when he volunteered with the organisation as a student in Hull. He went on to join the NHS as a management trainee from university and worked in many roles across the country, eventually becoming Deputy CEO and COO for NHS England. On the way he had a stint as a government health policy adviser.
Critical time
National Citizens Advice points out that the new Chair joins at a critical time for the charity. The network is seeing record demand for its services as the cost-of-living crisis continues to bite. Last year alone it helped 220,000 people with access to crisis support including food bank vouchers.
Here at CAEE we warmly welcome this appointment. Up to half of our clients annually live with a disability or long-term health condition. Our health and disability research regularly highlights the special difficulties facing these people in the cost-of-living crisis.