Welsh NHS chief to become most senior Welsh Government civil servant

Dr Andrew Goodall, the Chief Executive of NHS Wales, has been appointed to the most senior non-politician role in the Welsh Government.

The man regularly seen at Wales’ Covid press conferences will now become the Permanent Secretary, succeeding Dame Shan Morgan as the most senior civil servant in the Welsh Government.

He will be responsible for around 5,000 staff, as well as the principal policy adviser to the First Minister.

While elected ministers give their input on the overall direction of government departments, the bulk of the work of managing the day-to-day operation of government is done by civil servants.

Liverpool-born Andrew Goodall worked in the NHS for 30 years and is the ex-chief executive of Aneurin Bevan University Health Board.

He has a law degree from Essex University and a Ph.D in health service management from Cardiff Business School.

“It is a great honour to take up the role of Permanent Secretary of the Welsh Government. I look forward to working with staff across the civil service and the wider Welsh public sector workforce,” Andrew Goodall said.

“There are major challenges ahead but I am confident that we can rise to them by working together, and building on the foundations that Shan has laid over the last five years.”

First Minister Mark Drakeford said he was “delighted” that Andrew Goodall would be taking up the role of Permanent Secretary “as we build a stronger, fairer and greener Wales together beyond the pandemic”.

“He has been a leading figure in Welsh public service for many years, so I warmly welcome his appointment to this role,” he said.

“I would like to thank Shan for her leadership of the Welsh civil service during these most challenging of times, and wish her well for the future.”

Outgoing Permanent Secretary Dame Shan Morgan said she considered herself “extremely fortunate” to have worked with “such a fantastic group of people on things that have made a huge difference to people in Wales at one of the most challenging times in our history”.

“Although much of my time has inevitably been spent fire-fighting, my focus as Permanent Secretary has been to try to develop a more resilient, skilled and capable civil service for the future, as well as making the organisation a fairer, more inclusive place to work,” she said.

“I wish Andrew all the best and will be working closely with him as he takes up the role.”