Dear Candidate

Thank you for your interest in University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust and this exceptional opportunity to lead the board as our next Chair. I hope that you enjoy finding out more about our organisation; our values, ambitions and how your professional and personal experience could help us deliver the best healthcare to our populations.   

We are by any measure a large and complex organisation; one of the country’s largest University Hospitals.  We have an annual expenditure of more than £1.1bn employing 12,300 people operating across two busy acute sites at Royal Stoke University Hospital and the County Hospital at Stafford as well as our partner sites. 

We provide a full range of general hospital services for over one million people locally in Staffordshire and specialised services for a population of around three million, including neighbouring counties and North Wales. We are one of the largest hospitals in the West Midlands and have one of the busiest Emergency Departments in the country. Emergency patients are brought to us from a wide area by both helicopter and ambulance because we are a Major Trauma Centre. 

We play a key role within the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care System (ICS), as we work closely together to transform the way health care is delivered for the benefit of our population.  

Our outgoing Chair, David Wakefield, has played an invaluable role in our organisation over the last seven years, providing dedicated leadership, guidance, and support throughout his tenure. Throughout many investments, service improvement, financial recovery and organisational growth, he has maintained a clear focus on delivering the best care for our patients and supporting our staff. Our new Chair will inherit a strong board to lead through the next stage of our journey.  

Our new Chair will be a proven board level leader who has held significant leadership roles in complex, regulated, and person-centred organisations at scale.  With strong governance experience and the ability to keep quality, performance and financial accountability in balance, you will bring the ability to navigate politically complex environments.  You will be passionate about the wellbeing of our people and populations and will be a highly visible, open and approachable leader who provides the board with high support and challenge.  

If you are interested in this exciting opportunity, then I do encourage you to read further on this site and contact our retained consultants at GatenbySanderson in the first instance for a confidential discussion; Helen Barkham or Emma Pickup of GatenbySanderson on 07807 631564. 

We look forward to meeting you during the process. 

Dr Simon Constable
Chief Executive Officer