New CEO for Frimley Health trust

NHS Frimley Health Foundation Trust has appointed a new chief executive officer.

Lance McCarthy, who works as CEO for an Essex-based NHS hospital trust, will join NHS Frimley Health on August 20.

The outgoing CEO at NHS Frimley, Neil Dardis, announced in December that he would be leaving the role after six years to take on a senior leadership position in Qatar.

NHS Frimley Health’s chair, Bryan Ingleby, said: “Lance has shown that he is an inspiring, compassionate and inclusive leader with a good track record in building strong relationships with clinicians and partners.

“He demonstrated that he will put the needs of patients and staff at the heart of everything we do and his experience of large scale transformation, successful partnership working and the implementation of strategy based around clinical priorities are the qualities we need in a leader as we meet our future challenges”

Mr McCarthy has been CEO at The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust (PAHT) in Harlow for the past seven years.

In his new role at NHS Frimley Health, Mr McCarthy will work for an organisation that provides hospital services for people in

Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire and Surrey.

The trust runs Wexham Park hospital in Slough and Heatherwood hospital in Ascot.

He said: “I am absolutely delighted to have been appointed as the CEO of Frimley Health. The trust has a fantastic history of successes, high quality clinical outcomes and patient experiences and it will be an enormous privilege to lead the trust.

“I will be sad to leave PAHT after seven years and will forever have many memories from working there, but I am excited about working with all Frimley Health teams and wider system colleagues to progress their ambitions for the future.”

PAHT chair Hattie LlewelynDavies said: “My congratulations to Lance on his new role and a huge thank you from all the members of the board and people at PAHT.

Ms Llewelyn-Davies said that she was proud of Mr McCarthy’s achievements at PAHT, which included helping the trust to treat 50,000 more patients a year and helping it out of Care Quality Commission special measures.

She added: “Thank you Lance for your passion, compassion and commitment to our people and the patients we care for.”