Kevin McGee
Over the past few weeks, the Trust has implemented a new structure designed to provide more capacity, more capability and better outcomes across all our services for patients and their families.
We began a review last summer to look at how services were grouped and managed and how we could work differently to deliver improvements.
The new structure now in place includes the creation of a tertiary division and four reconfigured, complimentary divisions to deliver services. Each will be led by a triumvirate of people who bring significant skills in their respective fields of medical, nursing and operational leadership.
These new positions are critically important roles to the Trust’s ambitious improvement plans and so I do want to introduce them to you and publicly wish them every possible success as they take up this new challenge. They are:
Integrated Medicine and Patient Flow
- Shah Qazi (Interim Divisional Director)
- Jo Bark (Divisional Director of Operations)
- Lisa Horkin (Divisional Director of Nursing)
Surgery, Anaesthetics, Critical Care and Theatres
- Lynn Douglas (Interim Divisional Director)
- Neil Upson (Divisional Director of Operations)
- Jo Lickiss (Divisional Director of Nursing)
Clinical Support Services
- Rebecca Bond (Director of Pharmacy/DD)
- Nigel Lewis (Interim Divisional Director of Operations)
Families and Integrated Community Care
- Peter Curtis (Divisional Director)
- Pauline Tschobotko (Divisional Director of Operations)
- Nicola Parry (Divisional Director of Nursing/Head of Midwifery)
Tertiary:
- Shajil Chalil, (Interim Divisional Director)
- Jane Rowley, (Interim Divisional Director of Operations)
I am confident that together the Trust, working closely with our partners across the health and social care system in Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre, will deliver the best possible support and treatment for local people.
The new structure is also designed to provide the most effective support for staff to develop and be supported to achieving the very best quality of care. This is important as we need to continuously recruit and retain the very best people if we are to achieve our aims. This is a perpetual and ongoing challenge which we will continue to focus on. If you know someone who lives locally or is looking to relocate and join a great team, please do recommend us as a place to work and share our vacancies when they are advertised.
On this note, I want to mention a couple of other key appointments to the team.
Natalie Hudson is our new Chief Operations Officer and will lead on Integrated Medicine, Patient Flow, Families and the Integrated Community Care divisions.
Natalie joined us from East Lancashire Hospitals as interim Executive Director of Unscheduled Care in December. She has a huge amount of experience, energy and expertise and is working hard to ensure, in particular, that we have good patient flow and our emergency department is as effective as it can be.
Charlie Walton is our new Director of Planning and Delivery after spending the past year with the Trust on secondment from NHS England. She has been one of the driving forces behind the development of the new organisational structure and is working at the heart of the wider transformation of our services.
Sadly, we are saying a fond farewell to some colleagues too and I want to say a massive thank you for everything they have contributed to the Trust.
Non-Executive Director (NED) and local resident Professor Tony Warne is leaving the Trust Board for an exciting new role as Chairman at Stockport Hospitals NHS Trust. While at the Trust Tony has been an integral part of the Board, providing great insight, challenge and forward thinking, particularly within his portfolio supporting the Quality and Clinical Effectiveness Committee. The role of NED is extremely important within the NHS constitution, holding myself and other Executive Directors to account and ensuring scrutiny and assurance is provided around the effective running of the Trust. We will be recruiting to this position as soon as possible.
Executive Director of Finance and Deputy Chief Executive Tim Bennett will also be leaving the Trust Board team following his secondment to the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care System (ICS), where he has been supporting the pathology collaborative project. Tim joined us in 2014 and has worked within the NHS since 2004. Among his many contributions, Tim played a key role in the development of our brilliant Emergency Village project.
Joint Assistant Chief Executive Les Stove is leaving to become the new Managing Director of our facilities partner Atlas. Les has worked in the NHS for more than 30 years across both acute hospital and primary care settings. He has experience in delivering a range of services and will help us work more effectively with Atlas in some very important areas.
Divisional Director for Operations for Adults and Long-term Conditions Liz Holt has now retired following a career with the NHS that began more than 40 years ago in 1980. During her time in Blackpool, Liz led community services for the Primary Care Trust delivering the Transforming Community Services strategy.
I know there are many other colleagues both joining the team and leaving the Trust each and every day and whilst I cannot name everyone here in the blog I do want to say a very warm welcome to our new staff and a very big thank you to those moving on.
I am a firm believer that brilliant people and positive relationships are the basis of a high performing and effective team – and in Blackpool Teaching Hospitals we are blessed with both.
Once again, I would just like to say thank you for everything you have done for our patients, their families and each other. Your hard work and dedication over the last year is appreciated and you should all be extremely proud of yourself.
Take care,
Kevin
Kevin McGee
Chief Executive