• New CEO announced as Wilton Park, a global forum for strategic discussion, celebrates its 75th anniversary.
• Mr Cargill, who brings diverse experience from across the public and private sectors, will lead the organisation to continue its vital role of finding innovative solutions to tackle global issues and support British foreign policy priorities.
• This will include shaping new relationships with the EU and other international partners in 2021, as well as continuing to partner with a range of actors, multilateral bodies and like-minded countries to promote key discussions on climate change, sustainable development, conflict prevention, human rights, and support for a rules-based international system.

Tom Cargill hailed 2021 as an “exciting time” for Wilton Park following his appointment as the agency’s new Chief Executive Officer.

The announcement comes as Wilton Park marks its 75th anniversary and continues to build its vital role to drive collective global security and prosperity, and to build international relationships. From its foundation in 1946, Wilton Park has hosted discussions to address some of the most important issues over the past 75 years – from nuclear non-proliferation, to the impact of technological change on education, work and society – and has become the home for open and innovative discussion.

Mr Cargill, who will take up the role on 18 January, will bring a wealth of public and private sector experience to drive Wilton Park to continue to generate innovative solutions to global issues, and to build new relationships around the world.

Wilton Park runs more than 70 events a year, aiming to facilitate international dialogue and bring fresh thinking to the development of international policy. Under Mr Cargill’s leadership, the organisation will continue to use these platforms to help the UK to navigate a new relationship with the EU and other international partners, recover from the global effects of the coronavirus pandemic and become an even stronger force for good in the world.

Nigel Adams, Minister of State at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, said:

Wilton Park has an important part to play in a truly global Britain. Its work demonstrates how the UK is a force for good, driven by ambitious ideas to solve global problems, determined to seize new opportunities and forge new relationships around the world.

Tom Cargill’s diverse experience across the public and private sector means that he is ideally placed to lead Wilton Park’s vital work.

Gisela Stuart, Chair of Wilton Park said:

Tom is a strong appointment for Wilton Park. He brings a huge amount of experience, energy and insight to the role. Under his leadership, Wilton Park will continue to grow and develop, bringing fresh thinking to international policy and supporting its delivery.

Mr Cargill said:

Wilton Park sits right at the heart of the UK’s soft power and global networks. Now is a particularly exciting time to be leading a globally connected organisation that is both a trusted convenor of dialogue and one of Britain’s pre-eminent drivers of soft power. I look forward to building on our networks of influence, as we navigate the new challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

Currently the CEO of the business development organisation British Expertise International, Mr Cargill brings with him a vast amount of experience working in UK foreign policy, trade, international development and infrastructure.

He has served as founder, CEO, and remains Chair of the not-for-profit British Foreign Policy Group. He previously worked on international business development strategy for the engineering multinational Bechtel and spent 10 years at Chatham House.

• Mr Cargill succeeds Colin Smith, who has held the role of interim Chief Executive since May 2020 and has moved to another Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) appointment.
• Wilton Park is an executive agency of the FCDO, helping to drive international dialogue. Its mission is to serve as a force for good, finding practical solutions to critical global issues.

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• The investment is part of a £26 million national fund to have all NHS doctors, nurses and other clinical staff on e-rostering systems by 2021, shown to be particularly invaluable during the pandemic
• E-rostering can save time and effort when redeploying staff, digitally matching staff skillset with patient care requirements and geography, while managing working hours and pay to save clinicians time and effort every week

NHS hospitals, clinics and pharmacies across 38 more trusts will be able to save staff time and money by rolling out digital shift planning, known as e-rostering systems, thanks to £7.5 million government funding.

During the pandemic, e-rostering has proven instrumental when redeploying staff, reporting absences and managing working hours and pay information, notably for vaccination centres. NHS trusts have reported an increased appetite across clinicians to implement e-rostering as a result.

E-rostering allows clinicians to select shifts digitally, providing them with more flexibility and more efficient work schedules. Specific skillsets can more easily be matched to the right shifts when redeploying staff using digital staff passports. The passports are currently being piloted and can save staff and HR teams time by providing a verified record of identity, employment and training on their smartphone. These have been used during the COVID-19 response to redeploy staff quickly to support areas in need.

A 2018 study (see footnote) showed one of the functions of e-rostering – caseload scheduling – could save each NHS clinician 34 minutes a week, which can add up to hundreds of hours per trust. By planning routes between healthcare settings or to patients’ homes for home visits, clinical resource can be geographically matched so NHS staff can spend less time travelling and more time with patients.

Minister of State for Care Helen Whately said:

People are at the heart of the NHS. Our doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers are the greatest asset we have. I’m determined to help NHS trusts get the best out of our talented healthcare workers and give patients the care they deserve.

We’re delivering on another commitment in the NHS Long Term Plan to support the use of electronic rosters. E-rostering is a crucial tool to make the most of our dedicated healthcare professionals’ time for looking after patients – something which is needed more than ever during this pandemic.

Managing shifts more effectively also makes it easier to work flexibly, giving our hardworking clinicians a better work/life balance. I’m pleased even more trusts will now benefit thanks to this £7.5 million funding boost.

I’m excited to see how this technology can be implemented in the future, not just in hospitals and pharmacies, but in social care too – making sure everyone gets the right care at the right time.

The trusts benefiting from this latest funding include mental health and community, specialist and general acute trusts.

The technology can also cut costs for the NHS by reducing the reliance on staffing agencies.

Five NHS trusts will be using the software to also schedule patient appointments.

The £26 million national rollout to 68 trusts in total is part of the NHS Long Term Plan ambition to equip all shifts for doctors, nurses, Allied Health Professionals, health scientists and pharmacists with e-rostering systems by the end of 2021.

Four NHS trusts which received funding earlier in the rollout have created the North West London Collaborative Staff Bank, a shared pool of available clinicians who can fill shift vacancies to match surges in demand from the pandemic and wider winter pressures.

This is part of a wider strategy by NHS England and Improvement and NHSX to build a collaborative and flexible workforce through the use of technology. The Department of Health and Social Care will continue to work with NHS trusts to improve and upgrade their workforce deployment systems.

Anna Stabler, Executive Chief Nurse at North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust said:

We’re delighted to have been awarded this funding to help us develop a community workforce deployment system for our nurses and Allied Health Care Professionals working in the community. The funding will be utilised to deliver electronic rostering and case management systems that will in turn benefit our staff and patients alike.

It will mean our staff can support patients in a more timely manner, whilst reducing their travel time and improve their working arrangements. We’re very much looking forward to getting this piece of work underway.

Footnote: A May 2018 Newton Europe Consultancy review of community services found that route planning and geographic matching of clinical resource and demand could save travel time by 20% and 30% respectively. The use of scheduling solutions could, assuming a conservative estimate of 10% lower travel time, save 34 minutes per clinician per week, allowing them to see more patients.

The Environment Agency invested over £48 million in projects to enhance fisheries and make improvements for anglers, angling facilities and the environment during 2019-20.

The EA’s Annual Fisheries Report, published today (15 January), shows that over £20 million was raised from rod licence sales, with almost a million (940,974) fishing licences sold between 1 April 2019 and 31 March 2020. This was supplemented by partner contributions and additional government funding, allowing the EA to spend over £48 million to support the management of fisheries.

Environment Agency fisheries staff also used rod licence income to work with the Angling Trust and the police to educate anglers, enforce fisheries law and protect the sport for those who want to fish safely and legally. This resulted in 1,611 successful prosecutions and over £285,900 in penalties against people committing angling offences, demonstrating that angling crime doesn’t pay.

Fishing licence sales have also allowed EA fisheries officers to save thousands of fish and helped protect hundreds of fisheries. In 2019-20, the agency attended 309 reported incidents of dead fish or fish in distress. When responding to incidents, trained officers collect evidence for prosecution and where possible help mitigate impacts of both natural and preventable incidents.

Kevin Austin, Deputy Director for Fisheries at the Environment Agency, said:

Income from fishing licence sales is used to fund vital work to improve and protect our fisheries and much-loved fish species. Our new Annual Fisheries Report shows how income generated is invested directly back into our angling community, improving fish stocks, boosting opportunities for anglers as well as working with partners to make it easier for anyone to take up fishing.

When you buy a licence, you are supporting important work by the EA, including restocking, fisheries enforcement, habitat improvement and fish rescues when needed.

The report shows that in 2019-20, licence sales funded:

• In-depth monitoring of fish stocks, with EA teams conducting 1,521 fisheries surveys to assess fish stocks and the health of waters across England
• Over 40,000 people encouraged to try fishing for the first time at 1,525 angling participation events
• Installation of 58 fish passes and the improvement of 515km of rivers providing habitat for all fish to thrive
• The enhancement and improved access to 185 hectares of stillwater fisheries
• 27 projects to protect fisheries from predation from otters and cormorants through the Angling Improvement Fund (AIF)
• 135 projects to improve and enhance fisheries via our Fisheries Improvement Programme (FIP)
• Collaborative work with over 2,000 partners (including the Angling Trust, Wild Trout Trust, local rivers trusts, land owners and angling clubs)
• The supply and stocking of more than half a million coarse fish including roach, dace, chub, barbel, tench, rudd, common bream and grayling. These fish are essential in helping to develop fisheries and for waters impacted by major pollution incidents.

Annual fishing licences are available from only £30. Anglers under 16 can fish for free and concessions are also available. As well as being a legal requirement, purchasing a fishing licence contributes to the enhancement of rivers and lakes across England and supports participation events which helps angling become more accessible to everyone.

Find out more about fishing licences to enjoy fishing and make sure you fish legally.