New National Director Appointed for Mental Health, LD, and Autism | News
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New National Director Appointed for Mental Health, LD, and Autism
Cavendish Square Group (CSG) welcomes the appointment of Dr Nick Broughton as the new national director for mental health, learning disabilities and autism.
Dr Broughton, currently Chief Executive of the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West (BOB) Integrated Care Board and Frimley ICB, is set to take up this new national role subject to final Treasury approval. His appointment comes at a pivotal time for the sector as the recently established combined leadership team across the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England places increased emphasis on national priority programmes.
Dr Broughton brings extensive experience as a senior leader across mental health services. He was appointed substantively as CEO of the BOB ICB in September 2024 following more than a year as interim, and took on the leadership of Frimley ICB in October 2025 when the two organisations formed a cluster. Both ICBs are expected to merge formally to become the Thames Valley ICB in April 2026, with Dr Broughton anticipated to continue as cluster CEO alongside his new national responsibilities.
His career includes chief executive leadership at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust and Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust, where he oversaw improvement in the organisation’s Care Quality Commission rating from “requires improvement” to “good”. He has also served as chief executive of Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.
A consultant forensic psychiatrist for more than two decades, Dr Broughton has held a range of clinical, medical leadership and director roles, giving him deep insight into both frontline practice and strategic system improvement.
His appointment follows the departure of Claire Murdoch, who held the national director post for nine years and continues as Chief Executive of Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust.
CSG welcomes Dr Broughton’s appointment and looks forward to working with him as we continue to champion high‑quality, equitable mental health and learning disability services across London and beyond.