Rachel Jones – Director of Strategy, Planning and Partnerships

Rachel has 30 years’ NHS experience which started when she qualified as a diagnostic radiographer. For the next 10 years she worked in this field in acute hospitals in Birmingham, Manchester and Preston, more latterly specialising interventional radiology.

She moved to Kent 19 years ago and broadened her experience working in a Strategic Health Authority, focusing on service improvement and two years focusing on contracts and performance management.

From 2011 to 2014 she was the Divisional Director for Surgical Services at East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust before moving to be the Director of Strategy and Business Development until 2017.

From there she spent a short time in a Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) before moving to the Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP) to lead strategic change programmes across Kent and Medway, including Stroke, Vascular and East Kent Transformation. During her time there she also led on Children and Young People, Learning Disability & Autism and Cancer.

In April 2020 she became the Executive Director for Strategy & Population Health for Kent and Medway CCG and she moved to Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust from that role in May 2022.