A new NHS leader in our region wants to "rewrite history" and to see Newcastle, Gateshead and the rest of the North East and Cumbria become "the place people from across the world come to see how we're transforming healthcare".
Samantha Allen is the new chief exec of the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB). She's set out her vision for a collaborative health and care sector, and one which includes "assets in our communities" - especially charities such as Children North East based in Newcastle's West End - to tackle huge public health challenges.
Ms Allen took the job at the ICS earlier this year, but it only took on its full legal responsibilities on July 1. She had previously been chief executive for an NHS trust in Sussex. The ICB manages the new Integrated Care System in our region, and has taken on the job of commissioning health services from CCGs.
