Movers and shakers news round-up: February 2018

This month’s movers and shakers sees appointments at Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust and University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust.

First on the list is Tim Rycroft, who has been appointed CIO at Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust.

Rycroft joins from Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, following seven years as head of IT and information governance.

Before joining Airedale, Rycroft was head of technology business solutions at the National Policing Improvements Agency.

Commenting on his appointment, Rycroft said: “I am very happy to be joining the trust [which] has a well-established record of digital innovation and delivery. I am very much looking forward to building on these achievements with the ambition of taking the organisation to the next level of digital maturity.

“One of my other immediate priorities will be to focus on the delivery of the new mental health electronic patient record which will set the foundations for future service improvements.”

Meanwhile, Kate Slemeck has been appointed CEO of Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, the first woman to have been handed the role.

She succeeds Dr Chris Streather, who is now chief medical officer at the trust.

Slemeck joined the Royal Free as director of operations in 2011, before being appointed chief operating officer in 2012. She took up the post of the trusts’ group chief operating officer in June 2017 and has 26 years of NHS management experience.

Slemeck stepped into her new executive role on 15 January. She said one of her first ambitions was to raise the hospital’s CQC rating from ‘good’ to ‘outstanding’.

“I am incredibly excited and feel privileged to be taking up this post, and especially proud to be the first female chief executive at the Royal Free – one of the best hospitals in the NHS,” she added.

“There is something very special about this hospital, mainly thanks to its committed staff who are focused on doing everything they can to ensure that every patient who walks through our doors gets the best possible care.”

Miles Scott has been appointed as the new chief executive of Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust (MTW). He began his new role on 8 January.

Scott has over 30 years’ experience in the NHS encompassing acute, community and mental health services, the Department of Health and the King’s Fund. Most recently, he has worked with NHS Improvement, focusing on its establishment as a new national organisation and leading the national Ambulance Improvement Programme with NHS England.

“I am delighted to have been appointed CEO at MTW,” he said.

“I have been very impressed by the staff I have met and look forward to working together to deliver outstanding patient and staff experience.”

Finally, University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust has welcomed Ian Johnson as its new chair.

Johnson has been the chair of Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust since 2012. He also serves on the council at Lancaster University, and chairs the university’s Health Innovation Campus Development Board.

Johnson is expected to join University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust in March or April 2018.

He said: “I am delighted to have been appointed chair of the Trust. As someone who was born and brought up in this area, I know the importance of the Trust to the communities it serves.

“There is much still to be done as we work with our colleagues in Bay Health and Care Partners to create healthier communities and provide safe and high-quality care within our hospitals.

“I would like to thank the Trust’s Governors for their confidence in me and I look forward to working with them, staff across the Trust and Board colleagues to meet the expectations of our population.”