I have been looking at the priorities for the new Bedfordshire chief medical officer - these are his plans
Improving access to healthcare is among the priorities for the new chief medical officer for the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board.
Dr Andrew Rochford, who joined the organisation in March, has experience of working in the National Health Service (NHS) within the county, serving as a junior doctor in gastroenterology and general medicine at the Luton and Dunstable Hospital in 2000.
In his new role, Dr Rochford will provide clinical leadership to health and care services across the area, and says he is aiming to improve access to healthcare.
“One area {I hope to improve} is how people are able to access healthcare, and what health means to them - how they prioritise their wellbeing and whether they have the tools and support to do so,” Dr Rochford said.
“The opportunity in my role is to lead conversations around solutions that aren’t purely medical, but social solutions that involve healthcare alongside action to tackle the wider determinants of health.
“Communication and signposting are also key challenges - how people navigate the system and understand where to go for help.
“That’s a behavioural shift the healthcare system needs to support, working closely with partners.”
The Integrated Care Board (ICB)’s priorities for 2025 and 2026 include vaccination, use of the NHS app and transforming care pathways, and Dr Rochford says he fully supports these targets.
“These priorities were agreed before I was appointed, and I fully support them,” he added.
“My focus now is on aligning them with our wider ICB health strategy, which spans six key domains - mental health, fragile services, cancer, unplanned care, women and children’s services, and long-term conditions.
“I’ll be working with the executive team and partners to ensure we bring these elements together from a clinical perspective.”
Dr Rochford joined the ICB from the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, where he was a consultant gastroenterologist, although he continues to work there for one day per week.
Among his previous roles are a senior clinical position within NHS England, where he received international recognition for his work to improve urgent and emergency care.