Trust names ex-NHS chief as its new chairman
THE former head of the NHS in England has been appointed as the new chairman of Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust.
Sir David Nicholson has spent more than 30 years in NHS management including time in the most senior posts in the service.
But he has come under criticism in the past. Some campaigners had called for him to resign after serious failings were found at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust in the late 2000s.
He was the regional health boss for Stafford Hospital during some of the time where patients were being neglected and there were high mortality rates.
The new appointment comes amid a period of instability at the top of the trust, which runs City Hospital, in Birmingham, Rowley Regis Hospital and Sandwell District General Hospital. It will also run the new Midland Metropolitan University Hospital in Smethwick when it is completed.
Chief executive Toby Lewis has been on sick leave since last July, with acting chief executive Dr David Carruthers recently replaced by a new acting chief executive, Richard Beeken.
Sir David, taking over from Richard Samuda, who is retiring after nine years as chairman in May, said: “I am excited to be part of an organisation dedicated to improving health and tackling health inequalities and at the same time opening a fantastic hospital that will not only provide excellent healthcare facilities but will help regenerate the wider area.”
Sir David will retain his role as chairman of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, which he has held for the past two years.