Dr Kirby is leader of one of the largest specialist providers of community health services in the UK, serving a population of over 1.2 million people.
He received the honour at a graduation ceremony held at Eastside Rooms in Birmingham on Wednesday 17 July, presided over by Aston University Chancellor, Dr Jason Wouhra. A graduate of the NHS management training scheme, Dr Kirby began his career working in primary care in Birmingham. After a series of posts in commissioning, strategy, and performance management, he moved to Sandwell & West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, where he led the development of new models of care and service configuration changes, initially as director of strategy and then as chief operating officer.
His first CEO post was at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, an integrated provider of acute and community services, which were rated ‘Outstanding’ in a CQC inspection in 2017. After seven years in post, Richard took up his current role as Chief Executive of Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (BCHC) in March 2018. As one of the country’s largest specialist community providers, he is currently developing partnerships with primary care, mental health, and social care to deliver integrated services. In August 2023, under his leadership, the Trust’s CQC rating for children and young people improved from ‘Requires Improvement’ to ‘Good’.
Dr Kirby said: “I am very honoured to receive this award from Aston University. At its heart healthcare is a team effort, and I would like recognise the contribution of all my colleagues at Birmingham Community Healthcare for the care they provide for our patients. Our partnership with Aston University is vital to our ‘Best Care: Healthy Communities’ strategy, helping us train and develop our future colleagues and deliver innovative approaches to care in the future.” In addition to his Chief Executive role, Richard is the lead officer for the Birmingham and Solihull Community Care Collaborative, vice-chair of the Community Network supported by NHS Providers and the NHS Confederation, and a Fellow of the international Sciana Health Leaders Network.