John Boyington
John started his NHS career in Sheffield as a pre-nursing student before training as a nurse and spending much of his early working life in the mental health service before becoming Chief Nurse Adviser to the Sheffield Health Authority. John has held senior management posts commissioning and provider management in the NHS and prior to joining the Civil Service in 2000 he was Chief Executive for mental health and community services in Leicestershire.
Until 2007 John was Deputy Director General for Health and Care Partnerships within the Department of Health in England and Director of Health and Offender Partnerships, a joint post working across the Department of Health and the Ministry of Justice, a unique cross Government appointment. From 2000 to 2005 John directed the programme of improvements in health services for people in prison culminating in the transfer of commissioning responsibility for these services to the NHS.
From 2002 - 2007 he was Director of the Collaborating Centre for the WHO European Regional Health and Prisons Project. This project promotes the integration of prison and public health systems across a network of 36 member countries in Europe. John is a consultant to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva providing specialist advice and support in respect of those held in detention throughout the world and is currently working with the Government of Georgia on their programme of prison and mental health reform.
John recently chaired a year-long Commission to review mental health services across the north west of England which produced its report "A better future in mind" in October this year. He is currently leading the development of a mental health improvement programme for the north west.
John was awarded the CBE in the 2007 New Year Honours list for services to health.