“I don’t want to leave power on the table,” says Felix Peckitt, explaining why he successfully stood for election to MiP’s National Committee this autumn. Last September’s Unite the Kingdom rally and the rise of right-wing movements “actively hostile” to trade unions and the NHS “really spooked me”, he explains. “As managers and trade unionists we’ve got power and influence… it’s really important to use that and not be complacent.”

MiP enjoys “good working relationships” with management at North Central London ICB (NCL), where Felix is assistant director of data architecture, “but I understand it’s been hard won—not just by our union but by the whole movement,” he says.

Becoming an MiP rep has helped his managerial practice, Felix says, “because you get [access] to senior people faster and more exposure to difficult management conversations—from people who really trust you.” It also gives him “a lot of credibility”, he says, “because I can demonstrate that I care about the wellbeing of staff and the craft of management.”

Felix, who has Tourette’s Syndrome, has faced discrimination in previous jobs, “but being part of a union has given me more back up for that,” he says. Since 2023, he’s been a trustee of Tourette’s Action—the UK’s leading charity supporting people with the condition—an experience he’s quick to recommend. “It gets you great board experience and another view of health services to wrap around your existing knowledge,” he explains.

The charity campaigns for better diagnosis and treatment for the 300,000 people in England and Wales with Tourettes. Only 12 providers offer Tourettes services and there are no NICE guidelines for the condition. “That’s got to change,” Felix says.

In his day job, Felix leads a team of five engineers designing systems to support GPs and crunching the data clinicians and managers need to plan services, and develop new medicines and forms of care.

This isn’t ‘back office’; it’s vital work without which the NHS couldn’t function effectively—systems succeed or fail, Felix says, according to “how information flows from one part to another”. An analyst’s job is “creating knowledge”, he explains, “so we know what’s happened and why it’s important, and the right decisions are made.”

With its heavy reliance on AI, analysts should have a central role in delivering the government’s Ten-Year Plan—“AI is hungry for data and needs a good diet. It can’t just have junk food,” Felix explains. But he sees a “disconnect” between government promises to invest in data and the reality of uncompetitive salaries and analyst redundancies. “In other sectors technical skills are rewarded at the same level as management and leadership skills—that’s how you get some of the best technical talent.”

While AI is a “very powerful, transformative technology… it’s not an end in itself”, Felix says. Effective implementation demands not just technical knowledge but the skills managers offer—“leadership, building good relationships and strong clinical pathways, and a focus on equity”.

Felix’s ICB is now set to merge with next-door North West London, creating a ‘mega-ICB’ with a population of over 3.5 million. “People are still bruised from the last restructure which only concluded about three months before the new changes were announced,” he says. Plans to cut 50% of ICB staff had been on hold until funding was confirmed in November, leaving staff in a state of limbo for months, but are now proceeding “at a blistering pace”, he explains.

“We’re working with the employer to give members clarity quickly and ensure a fair process. But even if the process is fair and transparent, it can still really, really hurt,” he adds. Nationally, there’s danger that ICBs may cut staff aggressively only to re-employ some “under the guise of investment”, he warns. “But we’re not going to let employers walk into a fire and rehire situation by accident.”

As he prepares to take up his National Committee seat in January, what are Felix’s priorities for MiP? Beyond meeting “members’ immediate needs in navigating the restructure”, he wants to see the union expand its influence over “critical issues” like reducing inequality and implementing new technology. “I think we’re uniquely placed as a professional group to look at the governance of generative AI and its safe and effective use,” he says.” //