These people tell the tale of where clinical leadership stands today

This is the third year of HSJ’s 100 Clinical Leaders. It is only right and proper that, as clinical leadership cements itself at the heart of healthcare, this celebration has become a firm fixture in our calendar.

It highlights 100 individuals whose clinical background is shaping the work that they do.

‘These are people who tell the tale of where clinical leadership stands today in the health service’

These are people who are taking the experience they have had as a doctor, a nurse or an allied health professional and using it to influence healthcare.

For many, that influence is at the policy level: these are the people who have had the ear of politicians during the run up to the general election and will continue to have it in the coming months, or have pressed for major public health policy shifts.

For others, it is influence at the service level - those who will be charged with delivering the sort of transformation detailed in the NHS Five Year Forward View. Others still are at the cutting edge of science and research, using their clinical knowledge to transform treatments for patients.

Together, these are people who tell the tale of where clinical leadership stands today in the health service.

We see an NHS in which the clinically qualified are taking a leading role, even as some argue that clinicians are insufficiently represented at the most senior levels in healthcare providers. It is interesting to note that only four of this year’s HSJ Clinical Leaders are trust chief executives, for example.

The person at the top of our list remains unchanged - Professor Sir Bruce Keogh has been in number one position for each of the three years we have published this supplement - but there are plenty of new names here.

As ever, our judges faced a daunting task. The prestigious panel engaged in serious and energetic debate.

We thank them for their efforts, and await with interest your thoughts on their decisions.

Dave West is senior bureau chief, commissioning and performance, HSJ

The judges

Judges who were nominated excluded themselves from the selection process. However, in the interest of producing a credible list, judges who met the criteria as clinical leaders were considered by HSJ editor Alastair McLellan after the judging process.

• Kamran Abbasi International editor, The BMJ
• Professor Timothy Evans Medical director and deputy chief executive, Royal Brompton and Harefield Foundation Trust
• Professor Sir David Fish Managing director, UCLPartners
• Professor David Haslam Chair, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
• Dr Timothy Heymann Non-executive director, Monitor
• Samantha Jones Director of new care models, NHS England
• Des Kelly Executive director, National Care Forum
• Professor Alison Leary Chair of healthcare and workforce modelling, London South Bank University
• Dr Mahiben Maruthappu Senior fellow to the chief executive, NHS England
• Simon Potts Director, healthcare, Veredus
• Theresa Shaw Chief executive, Centre for Nursing Innovation
• Annette Sergeant Director and head of healthcare, Veredus
• Sir Richard Thompson Past president, Royal College of Physicians
• Dr Sylvia Tang Group medical director, Priory Group
• Dave West Senior bureau chief, commissioning and performance, HSJ (chair)