REFLECTING on almost four decades of service in the NHS the head of healthcare in Bury takes another look at the furore over the walk-in centres and remembers his roots as a trainee hauling briefcases back from the bank.

ONE of the top dogs in Bury is hanging up his problem-solving hat after 37 years in the NHS.

Stuart North, chief executive of Bury Clinical Commissioning Group is retiring at the end of this month to spend more time with his family and focus on the Hello Dolly production of his Burnley amateur dramatic society.

Mr North, who turned 60 this month, says he always had a knack for problem-solving and this has transferred into his work. He said spotting opportunities for savings was something he has “always been able to do”.

Originally from Yorkshire Mr North crossed the Pennines in 1985 when his family moved to Lancashire.

He still lives in east Lancashire in Burnley with his wife and is a father of three.

As a financial trainee in Wakefield Mr North earned his first stripes in the NHS and was one of three people responsible for paying weekly and monthly cash pay packets for more than 8,000 staff.

He described how he and his colleagues would come back from the bank in the morning laden with briefcases full of cash to deliver the brown pay envelopes that afternoon.

Not something that happens nowadays.

Mr North spent time in a number of other NHS trusts including Oldham and East Cheshire where he was finance officer for five years.

He said: “I lived in Burnley, it was a long commute and I wanted a new challenge.”

He certainly got a new challenge when he arrived in Bury where the deficit stood at £25 million with an annual deficit of £18 million.

Mr North said: “I knew about that beforehand. In a sense that was my bag in finance, delivering savings.”

Since then the CCG has been reducing its deficit and hopes to end this year with a £2.1 million deficit.

Mr North became chief officer for the CCG when it transformed from a primary care trust in 2013.

In that time he has certainly come up against a few challenges.

Two that stood out were problems with Bury Hospice and the public outcry over the walk-in centres, which is still fresh in the minds of many.

Mr North remembered the years when Bury Hospice was struggling financially.

The Hospice was struggling in 2014 and had to make job cuts, in 2016 chief executive Jacqui Comber was sacked, though she won an unfair dismissal tribunal.

Mr North said: “One of the challenges was managing the hospice. That relationship. I’m really pleased with where the hospice has got to now. People will know the history and there were some challenging times with the organisation.”

More recently Mr North pointed to the walk-in centres as a challenge the CCG has come up against.

He said: “It wasn’t a smooth journey but we have got to the appropriate solution.”

The CCG had proposed closing the borough’s walk-in centres but mass public out cry and the involvement of local politicians led to plans being redrawn.

Mr North said: “I think maybe we were naive, we thought if decisions were being made on a clinical ground and not financial people would understand and support. But actually we would have had understanding if we had been closing for financial reasons.”

He added: “If you have a challenging situation it strengthens your relationships with local politicians and with the public because there’s more engagement.”

As part of his leadership Mr North is proud of the changes that have been made to the way people in Bury receive their care.

He said: “What I’m proud of was the changes to clinical pathways hat have improved the care for individuals in Bury.

“The Dementia pathway — the patient journey within a condition — We are one of the top areas in the country for diagnosing Dementia and putting in place care plans for patients with Dementia. [It’s important because] people with Dementia are some of the most vulnerable in our society.

“There’s been quite a lot of changes to the cancer pathway. The latest statistics that came out showed we are now the third best area in the north of England for early identification of cancer. Previously we were at 43rd.

“That sort of thing makes a real difference to people.”

As of the end of September Mr North will have a lot more spare time on his hands to focus on his passions and interests.

He said the majority of his time immediately after retirement will be taken up with his role as musical director for St Cuthbert’s Operatic & Dramatic Society in Burnley.

This year’s production is Hello Dolly ­— “That will give me something to focus on,” he said.

In the longer term Mr North is looking forward to enjoying more golf and pursuing his love of the great outdoors hiking. Most recently he visited the Isle of Arran.

And of course Mr North will be spending more time with his family.

He said: “The thing I will miss more than anything is the people. The NHS is blessed with great individuals trying to do the right thing for patient care and it’s the relationships that I’m going to miss. I do need to keep in touch with people.”