Rick became Chief Executive of NHS Alliance in April 2012.  He continues in his role as urgent care lead for the NHS Alliance, and also as special advisor in primary care management.  He supports a leadership group of Chief Executives and Medical Directors, elected by their peers across urgent primary care providers, that meets quarterly with the Department of health’s Urgent & Emergency Care Team.  He is also a member of the Department of Health’s governing board for urgent and emergency care.  

Rick is also a Director of the Primary Care Foundation (PCF) which was established three years ago to develop and spread best practice in unscheduled, emergency and primary care.  PCF runs the National Out of Hours Benchmark, initiated by the Department of Health, measuring the performance twice a year of most PCT contracts across England.  It has also carried out a review for the Department of Health on the management of urgent care in general practice, undertaken a stocktake of how primary care is delivered within or alongside A&E and is currently completing a review of Urgent Care Centres.

Previously, Rick was the Chief Executive of Bexhill & Rother PCT until the end of July 2005.  Rick has worked across a range of sectors and in a variety of roles, including general management, internal consultancy, research and face-to-face with vulnerable clients. He led Access to Health, a Kings Fund initiative in the early 90’s to improve health care for homeless people, was responsible for developing quality standards in a mental health and community trust in Inner London and for developing commissioning within a regional health authority.  He is also a practicing psychodynamic counsellor.