HCA Healthcare UK has announced the appointment of Ed Smith as chair of its new advisory board.

The advisory board, which has been set up to support the company’s agenda around quality care and sector-wide collaboration, will provide guidance to the HCA UK leadership team.

Smith is a former chairman of NHS Improvement and deputy chair of NHS England. He previously worked as global assurance chief operating officer and strategy chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), where he had a 30-year career before his retirement.

In his new role, Smith will help to shape the board as members continue to be recruited across regulatory, health, academia and consumer.

HCA UK chief executive Mike Neeb commented: “I am excited to announce that Ed Smith has agreed to join HCA UK as chair of our new advisory board. He brings considerable experience and knowledge, which will no doubt be of immense assistance to our strategic agenda."