Sir James became Chief Executive of Newcastle Hospitals NHS FT on 1 January 2024. 

He was previously Chief Executive of Northumbria Healthcare and during this time held a two-year secondment in a national role as Chief Executive of NHS Improvement.  He was knighted in 2019 for services to healthcare and was at the forefront of the region’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw his Trust set up its own factory to make PPE. 

Sir James is also Chair of the NHS Customer Board for Procurement and Supply and was appointed by NHS England and NHS Improvement as Senior Responsible Officer and National Director of Elective Recovery for the Elective Programme in Autumn 2021.  He was acting Interim Chief Operating Officer of NHS England for a period in 2023.