Paul Athey, Chief Financial Officer
Paul Athey was appointed Chief Financial Officer of the new NHS Birmingham, Black Country and Solihull cluster in December 2025, providing strategic financial leadership across the system.
Paul joined the NHS as a member of the national financial management training scheme, having qualified with a degree in accounting and finance at Birmingham University.
Following early roles in the West Midlands South Strategic Health Authority and Wyre Forest Primary Care Trust, Paul joined the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in 2006 as Head of Financial Management.
In 2009 Paul was named Deputy Director of Finance at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, and in 2013 Paul was appointed as Director of Finance and Performance. He subsequently spent two years as the Interim Chief Executive from 2017 to 2019.
In May 2019, Paul joined NHS Birmingham and Solihull Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) as Chief Finance Officer.
Two years later, in summer 2021, Paul became the finance lead for the Birmingham and Solihull system. In this new role, Paul was responsible for developing the emerging financial framework for the Integrated Care System.
In May 2022, Paul was appointed as Chief Finance Officer of the NHS Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board (ICB). In this role, he played a central part in shaping financial governance, system sustainability and investment planning to support improved health outcomes.
As Chief Financial Officer for the NHS Birmingham, Black Country and Solihull cluster, Paul continues to play an instrumental role in leading the finance and investment strategy, supporting collaboration across organisations, and ensuring the effective stewardship of public resources to deliver the system’s strategic priorities.