Adam Memon has resigned from his post as Strategy Director at NHS England after leading the arm's-length body's long-term policy unit. The former political adviser, who previously served in senior advisory roles within HM Treasury and the Department of Health and Social Care, is leaving the public sector to establish an external venture focused on the links between health outcomes, economic growth, and social inequality.

Memon took over as strategy director in January 2025, having initially joined NHS England a year prior as director of demand insights. During his tenure, his work focused heavily on analyzing how health service interventions could help reduce economic inactivity caused by long-term sickness, aligning health administration with broader macroeconomic objectives. Reporting directly to Chief Strategy Officer Chris Hopson, he oversaw national strategic planning at a time when the central health administration faced intense pressure to streamline operations and integrate more closely with Whitehall.

Before entering health administration, Memon spent several years at the centre of government policymaking. He worked as a special economic adviser to Jeremy Hunt during his tenure as Chancellor of the Exchequer, following a period advising Sajid Javid when he led both the Treasury and the health department. His earlier career included time as director of economic policy at the Competition and Markets Authority and research roles within political think tanks. This background made him a prominent figure connecting ministerial priorities with the operational apparatus of the NHS.

Memon stated that he was proud of the work completed by the strategy team during his tenure. He noted that his primary professional focus for several years has centered on the intersection of health outcomes, national prosperity, and economic disadvantage. His new venture aims to build on this work by assembling an independent specialist team to address health inequalities outside government structures.

The departure comes at a crucial transition point for national healthcare governance. NHS England's strategy directorate has been heavily involved in shaping medium and long-term plans alongside the Department of Health and Social Care's system strategy unit. Officials are currently operationalizing the government's 10-Year Health Plan, which prioritizes moving care from hospitals into primary care settings, shifting from analogue to digital systems, and emphasizing sickness prevention.

Memon's exit represents another change in senior executive leadership as central health bodies prepare for structural reorganization. The administrative apparatus in London is adapting to closer ministerial oversight, with strategy portfolios being re-evaluated to ensure direct alignment with departmental targets.

NHS England has not yet named an interim successor or outlined a formal timeline for filling the strategy director post. Senior leaders inside Wellington House will redistribute the strategy directorate's existing responsibilities across the remaining executive team while oversight of the 10-Year Health Plan implementation continues.