Care Provider Alliance Welcomes New Chair
The coalition of national voices of adult social care providers in England, the Care Provider Alliance (CPA) is delighted to welcome Rhidian Hughes, Chief Executive of the Voluntary Organisations Disability Group (VODG), as the incoming Chair for 2026/27.
In his role as Chief Executive of VODG, the membership body for voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) organisations providing care, support, housing and advocacy for disabled people of all ages, families and carers, Rhidian has extensive experience of working across all aspects of the social care sector to influence policy and practice.
Prior to joining VODG, Rhidian’s career spanned a range of senior research, regulation and consultancy roles. He worked in management consultancy across the health and social care sectors and before that in regulation. Rhidian was educated at the University of York where he also earned his Doctorate, and earlier in his career Rhidian held academic appointments, leading programmes of social policy research.
The role of CPA chair rotates annually across each of the ten associations. Rhidian follows Ewan King, CEO of Shared Lives Plus who served as the CPA’s Chair for the past 12 months.
With over decades of leadership and policy expertise in social care, Rhidian will be instrumental in guiding the CPA at a critical time for the care sector, particularly as the CPA has been appointed to coordinate employer representation on the Negotiating Body for the first Fair Pay Agreement for the care workforce.
Commenting on his new role, Rhidian says: “The ten million people who draw on adult social care and support each year deserve a system that helps them live good lives. With reform now firmly on the government’s agenda, this is a genuinely exciting moment to be taking on the role of Chair.
“On behalf of all our members, I want to thank Ewan King for his leadership of the Care Provider Alliance over the past year, and for the energy and integrity he has brought to representing us through a demanding period. It is a privilege to follow him. The Alliance reaches over 95 per cent of providers and captures the full breadth of services that help people who draw on care and support to live the very best lives.
“Working alongside colleagues across our ten member associations, I look forward to making the case to government and its agencies for the sustainable funding and continued improvement of the care and support that so many people rely on.”
Outgoing Chair, Ewan King, CEO of Shared Lives says: ” It has been a privilege to take the role of CPA chair in what has, once again, been a fast-paced 12 months, as we navigate the many challenges presented by the Employment Rights and the Fair Pay Agreement, Designated Health Tasks, and Neighbourhood Health.
“During this period, we have also worked with CQC on its draft assessment framework, the Digital Care Hub to give evidence to the National Commission into the Regulation of AI in social care, and as part of the government’s Liberty Protection Safeguards (LPS) Steering Group, we are influencing strategic direction for the implementation of LPS to ensure its success in addressing the existing challenges within the DoLS system. Drawing on our collective member expertise, we also have run several webinars, varying from the Oliver McGowan Code of Practice and the Mental Health Act 2025 to cyber security for providers and encouraging more honour nominations from the sector.
“I very much look forward to working with Rhidian, and my other CPA colleagues as we continue to work collaboratively with all stakeholders to develop high-quality policy and implement changes which have a positive impact on people who draw on social care and support and their families, as well as the care and support providers and people who work in social care.
