Mark Douglas Britnell (born 5 January 1966) is an English business executive. He is a senior partner at the professional services firm
KPMG
KPMG International Limited (or simply KPMG) is a multinational professional services network, and one of the Big Four accounting organizations.
Headquartered in Amstelveen, Netherlands, although incorporated in London, England, KPMG is a net ...
and a global healthcare expert. He was the chairman and senior partner for healthcare, government and infrastructure at KPMG International until September 2020.
He was previously a director-general at the Department of Health and a member of the management board of the
National Health Service
The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...
(NHS) in England (July 2007–September 2009), as well as chief executive of
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
The University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust provides adult district general hospital services for Birmingham as well as specialist treatments for the West Midlands.
The trust operates the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Edgbaston ( ...
and the South Central
Strategic Health Authority
Strategic health authorities (SHA) were part of the structure of the National Health Service in England between 2002 and 2013. Each SHA was responsible for managing performance, enacting directives and implementing health policy as required by the ...
, but on three successive occasions was unsuccessful in his attempts to become NHS England chief executive.
Education
Having studied history at the
University of Warwick
The University of Warwick ( ; abbreviated as ''Warw.'' in post-nominal letters) is a public research university on the outskirts of Coventry between the West Midlands (county), West Midlands and Warwickshire, England. The university was founded i ...
, he joined the fast-track
NHS
The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...
Management Training Scheme in 1989, receiving his post-graduate education at
Warwick Business School
Warwick Business School (WBS) is an academic department of the Faculty of Social Sciences of Warwick University, that was established in 1967 as the School of Industrial and Business Studies.
The Business School offers undergraduate, postgradu ...
at the University of Warwick.
Career
His early career included various management posts in the
NHS
The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...
, a spell with the
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
n health service, a year in the
civil service
The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...
fast stream during which he was
sponsored by the Australian College of Health Service Executives to work in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
and
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
before being seconded to the
NHS Executive
The National Health Service Executive (NHS Executive) was part of the British Department of Health established in 1996. It advised Ministers on the development of NHS policy and was responsible for the effective management of the NHS. The Executive ...
in 1992. Britnell joined
St Mary's Hospital in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
as a General Manager before being appointed as a Director at
Central Middlesex Hospital
Central Middlesex Hospital is in the centre of the Park Royal business estate, on the border of two London boroughs, Brent and Ealing. It is managed by the London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust.
History
The hospital was establish ...
(now part of North West London Hospitals NHS Trust) in 1995, when he was named Project Director for an Ambulatory Care and Diagnostic (ACAD)
Private Finance Initiative
The private finance initiative (PFI) was a United Kingdom government procurement policy aimed at creating "public–private partnerships" (PPPs) where private firms are contracted to complete and manage public projects. Initially launched in 199 ...
(PFI) scheme - the first of its kind in the UK. He became chief executive at
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
The University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust provides adult district general hospital services for Birmingham as well as specialist treatments for the West Midlands.
The trust operates the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Edgbaston ( ...
. having been chief operating officer there, and led the organization from 1998 to 2006. It became an
NHS Foundation Trust
A foundation trust is a semi-autonomous organisational unit within the National Health Service in England. They have a degree of independence from the Department of Health and Social Care (and, until the abolition of SHAs in 2013, their local s ...
in the so-called 'first wave', and a PFI hospital rebuild, including a Royal Centre for Defence Medicine in partnership with the
Ministry of Defence
{{unsourced, date=February 2021
A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...
. In 2006 he was appointed as
chief executive
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
of the
NHS South Central strategic health authority (covering the area from Oxford to the Isle of Wight). He was Director-General for Commissioning and System Management for the
National Health Service
The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...
(NHS) of England (July 2007-September 2009). During this time he oversaw the development of the ''World Class Commissioning'' policy, the creation of the Cooperation and Competition Panel and reforms to primary care, patient and public engagement, integrated care and community services.
In 2009, he joined KPMG as head of health for the UK and Europe, becoming global chairman for health in 2010 and global chairman and senior partner for healthcare, government and infrastructure in 2018. He reports that in these roles he has travelled to 80 countries He finished this role in 2020, and is currently a UK health partner for KPMG.
He was said to have expressed an interest in the post of NHS chief executive in 2006 (when
David Nicholson was appointed) and to have applied again in 2013 (when
Simon Stevens
Simon Laurence Stevens, Baron Stevens of Birmingham, (born 4 August 1966) is a British public policy adviser, former CEO, and independent member of the UK House of Lords. He served as the eighth Chief Executive of the National Health Service ...
was instead the successful appointee). He also formally applied in 2021, when he (and
Dido Harding
Diana Mary "Dido" Harding, Baroness Harding of Winscombe (born 9 November 1967), is a British businesswoman and Conservative life peer. She served as chairwoman of NHS Improvement from 2017, and from May 2020 to April 2021, during the COVID-19 ...
) were both again unsuccessful, being beaten in the open competition for the role by
Amanda Pritchard
Amanda Kate Pritchard (born May 1976) is a British healthcare official and public policy analyst who has been the Chief Executive of NHS England since 1 August 2021. Pritchard previously served as chief operating officer of NHS England and as chi ...
.
Books
In October 2015, Britnell published 'In Search of the Perfect Health System', an analysis of 25 national health systems around the world and seven key trends facing healthcare globally. It won the health and social care category in the British Medical Association's Medical Book Awards 2016 and Best Health Book in China in 2017 from the Chinese Medical Doctors Association. The book is published in Mandarin, Portuguese and Korean, and sold in 109 countries. In March 2019 he published 'Human: solving the global workforce crisis in healthcare'. It is a response to the warning from the
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...
that by 2030 there will be a global shortage of around 18 million healthcare workers – about a fifth of the required workforce. Royalties of his books are said to go to the charity
Prostate Cancer UK
Prostate Cancer UK is a prostate cancer Cancer research, research, awareness and support organisation which is a Registered Charity, registered charity in England and Wales, as well as in Scotland.
History
The organisation was founded in 1996 a ...
.
Other activities
Via KPMG he was a member of the
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental and lobbying organisation based in Cologny, canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German engineer and economist Klaus Schwab. The foundation, ...
Global Agenda Council on the Future of the Health Sector for four years. He is a Trustee of the King's Fund. He has honorary degrees from Birmingham City University and University of Wolverhampton, and an honorary professorship at Taishan Medical University School in China. He also sits on the advisory board of the China Center for Health Development at Peking University. He was a Trustee of the cancer charity
Prostate Cancer UK
Prostate Cancer UK is a prostate cancer Cancer research, research, awareness and support organisation which is a Registered Charity, registered charity in England and Wales, as well as in Scotland.
History
The organisation was founded in 1996 a ...
, having been diagnosed and treated for the disease in 2008. He has often praised the NHS for saving his life.
NHS competition and privatisation controversy
In 2010, while discussing British health reforms at a private healthcare industry conference in the US, Britnell said: "In future, The NHS will be a state insurance provider not a state deliverer", and that "The NHS will be shown no mercy and the best time to take advantage of this will be in the next couple of years." In the light of the subsequent controversy, KPMG issued a press statement on his behalf on 16 May 2011 which did not deny the accuracy of the quotations, but asserted that "The article in ''The Observer''
5 May
Events Pre-1600
* 553 – The Second Council of Constantinople begins.
*1215 – Rebel barons renounce their allegiance to King John of England — part of a chain of events leading to the signing of the Magna Carta.
*1260 – Kub ...
attributes quotes to me that do not properly reflect discussions held at a private conference last October. Nor was I given the opportunity to respond ahead of publication." The ''Health Service Journal'' website published a longer statement from Britnell on 17 May. Commenting on the UK health service in an article for the Guardian Health Network, Britnell said "I'm proud to have worked for the NHS, with its great people, and now feel privileged to be able to work on health systems internationally."
['' The Guardian Health Network'', 30 March 2012]
"A Day in the life of Mark Britnell"
/ref>
Publications
* In Search of the Perfect Health System, Palgrave 2015
* Human: Solving the global workforce crisis in healthcare, Oxford University Press 2019
References
External links
Profile: Dr Mark Britnell, Global Head of Health, KPMG
Mark Britnell
at the Department of Health
A health department or health ministry is a part of government which focuses on issues related to the general health of the citizenry. Subnational entities, such as states, counties and cities, often also operate a health department of their ow ...
, 11 March 2008 (archived)
Column archive
at NHS/CPC Creative
Mark Britnell
collected news and commentary at ''Health Service Journal
''Health Service Journal'' (''HSJ'') is a news service that covers policy and management in the National Health Service (NHS) in England.
History
The '' Poor Law Officers' Journal'' was established in 1892. In 1930, it changed its name after ...
''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Britnell, Mark
1966 births
Living people
Administrators in the National Health Service
Alumni of the University of Warwick
British civil servants
English healthcare chief executives
KPMG people
Place of birth missing (living people)