Matthew Taylor has been appointed as the new chief executive of the NHS Confederation, taking over from Danny Mortimer.

Taylor will join the NHS Confederation in the summer after 15 years leading the Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA).

has enjoyed a distinguished career at the heart of public policy, which includes time in No. 10 as the Chief Adviser on Political Strategy to then Prime Minister Tony Blair, and a four-year tenure leading the Institute for Public Policy Research. He will join the NHS Confederation as the organisation launches a new strategy to coincide with the most important set of reforms to the NHS in a decade, which will see legislative changes that underpin moves to integrate care in the English NHS.

Taylor said: “The NHS is the most revered institution this country has created and is admired around the world. It represents the best of us and will play a vital role as we start the recovery process from coronavirus. I am proud to be joining the NHS Confederation at this pivotal time, as we look to build on the innovation and new ways of working that have been a feature of the pandemic and lock them in to improve care for the public.

“I started my career researching health policy and have worked with health and care leaders over the years. Some of the most impressive and talented people I have met work in the NHS. I look forward to supporting and working alongside our inspirational members.”

Mortimer, who has been acting chief executive of the NHS Confederation since September 2020, will return to his substantive role as deputy chief executive of the NHS Confederation and chief executive of NHS Employers (which is part of the Confederation).