Movers and shakers news round-up

This month’s Movers and Shakers round-up features appointments across various organisations and trusts including Now Healthcare Group, Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust and Oxford University Hospitals Foundation Trust.

Lisa Wood will join Now Healthcare Group (NHG) as its head of communications to strengthen the team.

One of Europe’s largest digital healthcare providers, NHG, has boosted its senior team and brought in Wood following a successful period of growth for the MediaCityUK based business.

Wood, who has most recently been working as a freelance communications consultant, has extensive experience in communications and brand building and spent eight years delivering creative communications and marketing for The Peel Group on the prestigious MediaCityUK development.

“The digital health industry is of huge importance to improving our physical and mental health and I am thrilled to be working in such a pioneering business and sector,” Wood said. “The vision and plans for the NHG are radical and I look forward to helping them build their brand and share their ground-breaking stories.”

Dr Toral Thomas has been appointed Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) first Chief Clinical Information Officer (CCIO) to lead developments in digital technology and improve information management for the benefit of service users and patients.

Thomas, a consultant forensic psychiatrist who has worked in the trust’s secure services for the past two years, took up his post in late October.

He will split his time between his new role and his existing clinical duties. He will focus on a range of areas, including improving NSFT’s electronic patient record by liaising with IT teams and the frontline staff; extending electronic prescribing across the trust and looking at the way data is collected and outcomes monitored to further improve patient care.

“I am looking forward to helping our Trust use technology to maximize the time we spend working with our service users,” Thomas said. “The technology will not replace the kindness and dedicated service we provide, but will hopefully serve to enhance it.”

Dr Bohdan Solomka, medical director with the trust said they are delighted to have appointed Toral as their first CCIO. ““We look forward to working closely with him over the coming months and years to improve our systems and ultimately the care our patients receive,” Solomka said.

Tracy Taylor has been appointed the new Chief Executive of Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH), which runs QMC, Nottingham City Hospital and Ropewalk House.

Taylor replaces Peter Homa, who has retired after 11 years as Chief Executive at NUH and 27 years’ service to the NHS as Chief Executive.

Taylor has worked in the NHS for more than 30 years and is a nurse by background. She previously held the title of Chief Executive of Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and Black Country Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

“The trust has dedicated staff, delivering excellent care. Through even closer working with our key system partners, I am confident that together we will create a very bright future for healthcare in Nottinghamshire,” Taylor said.

Taylor commenced her role on October 30.

Richard Kirby will become Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (BCHC) new Chief Executive.

Kirby, currently chief executive of Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, is expected to take up the new role early in 2018. The BCHC appointment follows the departure of Tracy Taylor to become chief executive of Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.

BCHC, one of the country’s largest providers of community and specialist health services, is currently in the advanced stages of integration planning with two other trusts, Black Country Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Dudley and Walsall Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust.

The three trusts are working towards combining as one organisation from 1 December, 2017 and Kirby will become chief executive of the newly integrated and larger trust. Tom Storrow, BCHC chair said they are delighted to appoint Kirby their next chief executive, following a most competitive recruitment process.

“We believe that, in Richard, we have secured an excellent appointment, able to pick up the momentum of the organisation and take us forward into the future,” Storrow said.

Susan Acott will take over as interim chief executive at East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust, which has recently had the worst accident and emergency performance in England.

Acott has been chief executive at Dartford and Gravesham since 2010. Previous chief executive Matthew Kershaw resigned last month after the trust reported months of very poor performance against the A&E four hour target.

Acott will work alongside former Royal College of Nursing chief executive Peter Carter, who was appointed as interim chair earlier this month. He will succeed Nikki Cole on 17 October. Acott who joined the trust yesterday (16 October) will do so until 31 March 2018.

She started her career from the NHS’s General Management Training Scheme, having graduated from Birmingham University. She has long standing experience in the NHS and has worked in a variety of posts in Manchester, Merseyside, York and London. Her Board level experience includes Operational, Strategic, Performance and Transformation portfolios.

Acott is passionate about the role of clinical leadership and education in delivering and sustaining high quality, safe services for patients. She has had considerable experience of service improvement, service re-organisation, mergers and operational delivery.

Andrew Dayani is the new medical director at Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust. Prior to taking up the role in July 2017) he was at Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. Sarah Oke has now replaced him at Somerset.

As medical director Dayani is responsible for the appointment, development and professional leadership of the medical and dental staff.

Dayani acts as the Caldicott Guardian for the organisation and is responsible for clinical effectiveness and audit. He also has responsibility for health and safety, infection control and prevention, medicines management and research and innovation.

John Drew steps into the role of director of Improvement and Culture at Oxford University Hospitals Foundation Trust.

He joined the Trust Board in early October, taking responsibility for performance improvement, analytics, workforce and organisational development, communications and engagement.

The role recognises the explicit link between organisational culture – including staff engagement and teamwork – and performance, in providing responsive, high quality care.

Drew is currently a Partner in McKinsey and Company’s healthcare practice, with extensive experience of working with NHS trusts and foundation trusts, as well as with international healthcare organisations.

Drew’s focus has been on operational improvement and transformational change, with a particular interest in cultural change and building capability through the development of people.

Ray James has been appointed the NHS England’s first National Learning Disability director. James will be responsible for driving improvements across NHS services aimed at supporting people with learning disabilities, as well as their families and carers.

James is the former national president of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services as well as the executive director of health, housing and adult social care at the London Borough of Enfield.

He said in a statement: “There is much to do if we are to realise our ambition to support people to lead independent, inclusive lives in their communities, able to access high quality, care, support and/or treatment services when needed.

“I am looking forward to the challenges and opportunities over the next couple of years and also want to express my thanks to all at Enfield Council for supporting my secondment.”

Justin Ash has been appointed as Spire Healthcare’s chief executive.

The private hospital group, which appointed which employed disgraced breast surgeon Ian Paterson, confirmed that Ash will take up the position after executive chairman Garry Watts relinquished control in June due to ill health.

Ash, who was previously CEO of Oasis Healthcare for nine years, will take over from interim CEO Simon Gordon on October 30. “I am looking forward very much to joining Spire at this important stage in the company’s life, and to meeting the leadership teams, staff and clinicians across the business,” Ash told ITV News.

The announcement comes as a High Court judge approved a £37 million compensation plan for hundreds of victims of disgraced breast surgeon Paterson, who worked for Spire Healthcare.

Paterson, 59, from Altrincham, Greater Manchester, who is now serving a 20-year sentence, was convicted by a jury at Nottingham Crown Court of 17 counts of wounding with intent and three counts of unlawful wounding against 10 private patients. Spire Healthcare, which runs 39 hospitals across England, Wales and Scotland, is contributing £27.2 million to the total compensation pot of £37 million.

A further £10 million is to be provided by Paterson’s insurers and his former employers, the Heart of England NHS Trust (HEFT).

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