Ian Carruthers
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Sir Ian Carruthers OBE is a senior British manager working in the National Health Service. He is Chief Executive of the South West Strategic Health Authority and has held a variety of senior appointments including Acting Chief Executive of the NHS in England for 6 months during 2006, Acting Director of Commissioning for the NHS and joint Chief Executive of Dorset and Somerset Strategic Health Authority and Hampshire and Isle of Wight Strategic Health Authority.
Carruthers first started working in the NHS at Garland Hospital, Carlisle in 1969 in an administrative role. He subsequently held management posts in Barnsley, Blackpool, Southend, Portsmouth and Plymouth. Between 1987 and 2006 he was Acting District General Manager for East Dorset Health Authority, District General Manager at West Dorset Health Authority, Chief Executive of the Dorset Health Commission, and Chief Executive of Dorset Health Authority.
During the year to 1 April 1995, Carruthers was seconded to the South and West Regional Health Authority as Regional General Manager/Regional Director of the NHS Executive, and from 1 December 2004 to 31 July 2005, he was seconded to the Department of Health, on a part-time basis, as Transitional Director of the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement.
Other roles include serving on the Department of Health Financial Strategy Steering Group and on the Strategic Health Authorities Chief Executives Reference Group on Delivering Race Equality in Mental Health. In the past Carruthers was a member of the NHS Modernisation Board, the National Steering and Advisory Group for Shifting the Balance of Power within the NHS and he also served as a member on the Modernisation Action Team on Patient Access which contributed to the NHS Plan. On 7 March 2006 he took over as acting NHS chief executive, following the departure of Sir Nigel Crisp. He held this position until September that year, being succeeded by David Nicholson.
Sir Ian is also a Visiting Senior Fellow of the Health Services Management Centre at the University of Birmingham, where his published papers include:
- Improving HImPs: the Early Lessons (ref RR35; I Carruthers, J Shapiro, T Knight)
- Purchasing in the NHS: The Story so far (1995, ref DP34) (I Carruthers, D Fillingham, C Ham, J James)
- Doctors in Unit Management (ref HS16, I Carruthers, G Page, D White)
- Options for strengthening Unit management. The implications for personnel, financial and functional management, planning, monitoring and communications (1982; ref HS13) (I Carruthers, C Fewtrell, D White)
- Reviewing the strength of Unit nursing management: An audit approach (1981; ref HS12)
He received his Knighthood in the 2003 New Year's Honours List for services to the NHS.
Married with a son and daughter Carruthers is a keen sportsman who won county caps for Cumbria in rugby union, cricket and soccer in his school days. He was offered a playing contract by Carlisle United football club but turned it down at the insistence of his father.
