The Trust Board has overall responsibility for the operational and strategic direction of the Trust and is accountable to NHS Improvement, the regulator of Foundation Trusts. The safety and quality of care provided at our hospitals is regulated by the Care Quality Commission.
The key functions of the Board can be described as:
- Setting the strategic direction, defining objectives and agreeing plans for the Trust
- Monitoring the Trust’s performance and take corrective action where appropriate
- Ensuring high standards of corporate and clinical governance
- Appointing and appraising executives
- Working in partnership with external bodies and the local community for the benefit of the Trust and the communities it serves
The Chair is responsible for the overall conduct of the Trust. He appoints and reviews the performance of the Chief Executive and both the Chief Executive and the Chair appoint and review the performance of other Executive and Associate Directors. The Chair and Chief Executive have key roles in leading the external and public relationships of the Trust and in establishing the appropriate internal environment.
Professor Mike Thomas, PhD, MA(Law), BN, PGCert Ed, FHEA, MBPsS, FRSA, ROA.
Mike has worked in academia and the health sector for nearly forty years in a variety of senior academic roles, including Vice-Chancellor, and holding various professional chairs across four universities. He remains research active and a practising clinical psychotherapist. For many years he carried out clinical research to enhance mental health support for individuals who experience severe and enduring eating disorders whilst, simultaneously, over the last fifteen years he has been working with research colleagues across the UK investigating issues that impact on compassionate leadership in both the public and private sectors. He has written three books and numerous articles and chapters on these two subjects.
More recently he has been providing an advisory service to public and commercial sector organisations supporting staff engagement projects, cultural change programmes and strategies for enhancing good governance.
Mike is committed to the voluntary, charity and public sector and has been continuously involved in charitable work for his whole working life. He is currently serving on the Lancashire County Council Veterans board and the College for Military Veterans and the Emergency Services which he co-founded. Prior to entering academia, he served in the Royal Navy, working for five years in HM Submarines before employment in the engineering sector and then qualifying as a mental health nurse and later a psychological therapist.
Executive Assistant - Cara Berriman
Email: Cara.berriman@mbht.nhs.uk
Telephone: 01539 715296, EXT 45296
The Non-Executive Directors provide support, advice and other specialist skills to the Trust and the Board. They are responsible for ensuring that the interests of the local community are represented and, with the Chair, for monitoring the executive management of the organisation.
Jalibani Ndebele, Associate Non-Executive Director
Jalibani works for North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust as the Associate Director of Operations responsible for the strategic planning, operational management and delivery of the operational elements of patient care, ensuring that the key safety, quality, and financial objectives are met. Jalibani is a leader with extensive healthcare experience at regional and local level. His prior role was for NHS England as a Lead for Specialised Services leading a dynamic team in delivering services across the NW region and wider specialised commissioning portfolio to translate and deliver specialised models of care across the region. Jalibani's aHUS team (The National Renal Complement Therapeutics Centre) won the Bright Ideas in Health Award for Research Delivery Impact in 2018.
Executive Assistant - Cara Berriman
Email: Cara.berriman@mbht.nhs.uk
Telephone: 01539 715296, EXT 45296
Amin Kamaluddin, Non-Executive Director
An experienced senior director Amin possesses a diverse 25- year career within FTSE100 and global blue-chip organisations spanning the pharma, medical, FMCG industries. Combining expertise in global procurement, supply chain, manufacturing, product development, go-to-market strategy. Amin focuses on formulation and implementation of value creation strategies helping deliver organisational transformation supporting sustainable growth and tangible benefit. A track record of achieving year on year growth for key stakeholders and shareholders alike. Amin holds an MBA from a top 4 UK Management School, is professionally accredited by The Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply and has a BA Hons in Accounting & Finance. Amin serves as a Trustee for a Blackburn based charity, is the Institute of Directors Ambassador for Lancashire, business mentor for Lancashire County Council Boost programme and business degree student mentor at The Manchester Metropolitan University.
Executive Assistant - Cara Berriman
Email: Cara.berriman@mbht.nhs.uk
Telephone: 01539 715296, EXT 45296
Alison Cole, Non-Executive Director
RGN, BSc (hons), MSc
Alison has 40 years’ experience in health care, most recently within NHS England as Deputy Director of Nursing & Quality. Alison trained as a Nurse & Midwife and worked at UHMB from 1992-2007 as a Midwife and general manager.
She also spent five years at AQUA (Advancing Quality Alliance) as Head of the Academy focussing on Continuous Quality Improvement and facilitating improvement collaboratives. Alison is passionate about patient safety and continuous improvement and is keen to support UHMB in their improvement journey.
Executive Assistant - Cara Berriman
Email: Cara.berriman@mbht.nhs.uk
Telephone: 01539 715296, EXT 45296
Carrie Cobb, Non-Executive Director
Carrie joined the trust in March 2023 as an Associate Non-Executive Director. She has been a registered nurse since 2001, and has worked as an ACP clinically previously . She is now a Deputy chief nurse / AHPs at FCMS, and therefore has extensive senior clinical leadership expertise. She also has expertise in commissioning , governance and in Quality improvement as a Quality lead at CCG level , and safeguarding lead expertise. She completed an Msc in Healthcare leadership with the NHS leadership academy and gained an EGA award . She was awarded a Queens nurse award for her leadership and innovation work in hospital avoidance . She also supports a voluntary organisation as a trustee on the board ,and enjoys giving a voice to underrepresented communities.
Carrie has worked in General practice for a large part of her career , working with her local PCN as board nurse lead , and now overseeing a range of services such as urgent, out of hours and primary care services.
Executive Assistant - Cara Berriman
Email: Cara.berriman@mbht.nhs.uk
Telephone: 01539 715296, EXT 45296
Tony Oakman, Non-Executive Director
Tony has forty years of public service. Having acquired a degree and post graduate degree at Lancaster University he qualified a social worker. He has over 22 years of Corporate Board experience and has operated in some of the most challenging urban areas of the country, both in Local Government and the NHS.
Until recently he was Chief Executive of Bolton Council where he led the Transformation strategy of the Council and development of a place-based Vision for Bolton - 'Active Connected and Prosperous'. A more inclusive and creative approach with partners developed an innovative integrated care model with the local acute trust, strong third sector developments and economic regeneration including the Medical Science School Bolton. With a focus for improvement under his tenure Bolton Children services were assessed as Good and Criminal Justice Services Good with Outstanding features.
As a person he is characterised by his motivation, energy and authentic approach matched with his passion to work and make a positive difference with teams of similar type people.
Currently he is also the chair of Barnsley Children’s Improvement Board.
Executive Assistant - Cara Berriman
Email: Cara.berriman@mbht.nhs.uk
Telephone: 01539 715296, EXT 45296
Karen Deeny, Non-Executive Director
Karen joined the Trust in July 2022
She started her career as a speech and language therapist and has over 40 years experience across health, social care and education systems as a clinician, senior leader, researcher, author, coach and mentor. She has an enduring passion for working collaboratively to improve people’s experiences and outcomes of care.
Since 1997 Karen has worked in the facilitation of change and improvement with a focus on compassionate and strengths-based leadership and effective team working. Quality assurance, inclusion and transformation are key elements of her extensive work leading local, regional and national programmes in the NHS.
Karen has completed the NHS Top Leaders programme and has a PhD in healthcare improvement. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and Institute of Leadership and Management qualified executive coach and mentor, she now works independently supporting a range of statutory, voluntary, charitable and social enterprise organisations with their improvement programmes.
Executive Assistant - Cara Berriman
Email: Cara.berriman@mbht.nhs.uk
Telephone: 01539 715296, EXT 45296
Liz Sedgley, Non-Executive Director
Liz is a qualified certified accountant who trained in general practice and then moved to what was in 1994 the fastest growing accountancy practise in the U.K. as an audit Manager. This role provided her with an insight into providing excellent customer service along side exposure to the workings of multi national organisations and rapidly expanding entrepreneurial businesses.
After starting a family, Liz set up her own business providing accountancy services to OMBs across the North West where she acts as accountant, Finance Director and counsellor.
She was a Non Executive Director at East Lancashire Hospitals Trust for 8 years where she developed an interest in understanding and improving the patient's experience and helping to develop seamless care between hospital and community settings for the benefit of patients.
Liz is also the Chair of the Audit Committee and Deputy Chair of the Trust Board.
Executive Assistant - Cara Berriman
Email: Cara.berriman@mbht.nhs.uk
Telephone: 01539 715296, EXT 45296
Sarah Rees, Non-Executive Director
Sarah is Head of Stakeholder Relations at Lancaster University, leading the development and delivery of stakeholder engagement activity, with a particular focus on civic and community engagement. She facilitates relationship building with a range of organisations locally, regionally and nationally, building understanding and making connections between partners and the University, for mutual benefit.
Sarah is the University lead for the Public and Community Engagement perspective of the national Knowledge Exchange Framework and the Civic University Network, to which Lancaster is a signatory. Sarah has been the University’s Appointed Governor on the Council of Governors of University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay Foundation Trust since 2018. She was appointed Chair of the System Design Authority for Bay Health & Care Partners in 2021.
Executive Assistant - Cara Berriman
Email: Cara.berriman@mbht.nhs.uk
Telephone: 01539 715296, EXT 45296
Adrian Leather, Non-Executive Director
Adrian joined the Trust in May 2018, while also working as the Chief Executive of Active Lancashire.
Adrian has developed Active Lancashire to become an innovative and transformational change organisation; developing ground breaking partnerships and programmes which contribute to health and economic outcomes using sport and active lifestyles as the tool of choice.
His recent activities include work to promote and test digital health technologies and the development of a £7M European funding bid focused on the economic benefits of getting deprived communities active.
Adrian is committed to ensuring that charities and voluntary sector organisations have the opportunity to step up and work creatively with public services to deliver better outcomes to our communities.
Adrian is also Deputy Chair of the Workforce Assurance Committee meeting.
Executive Assistant - Cara Berriman
Email: Cara.berriman@mbht.nhs.uk
Telephone: 01539 715296, EXT 45296
Dr Hugh Reeve, Non-Executive Director
Hugh was appointed a Non-Executive Director at UHMBT in February 2021. Hugh is a GP at Nutwood Medical Practice in Grange-over-Sands in Cumbria which has been rated as ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission. He is also a Director of the Morecambe Bay Primary Care Collaborative, a Federation of GP practices from across the Morecambe Bay area, where he leads the Health Foundation funded project on improving continuity of care in general practice.
Previously Hugh was Clinical Chair of Cumbria Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), during which time he played a key role in establishing the Bay Health and Care Partnership. Until recently, Hugh was a Visiting Fellow at The King’s Fund, where he co-authored the Fund’s 2018 report on Innovative Models of General Practice.
Having worked in Manchester and Stockport, Hugh moved to South Cumbria in 2001 to take on the role of Medical Director at Morecambe Bay Primary Care Trust and he also worked as a part-time GP in Windermere. Over the past 20 years he has worked to promote high standards across primary care and to foster collaborative working within general practice and across the wider health and care system.
Hugh studied Medicine at the University of Manchester, graduating in 1981, and gaining a Master’s Degree in Management Learning and Leadership from Lancaster University in 2005. In 2015 he received an Outstanding Alumni award from Lancaster University in recognition of his substantial contribution to the health service both locally and nationally.
Executive Assistant - Cara Berriman
Email: Cara.berriman@mbht.nhs.uk
Telephone: 01539 715296, EXT 45296
The Chief Executive is the accountable officer to Parliament and is responsible for ensuring that the organisation works effectively in accordance with national health policy, public service values and maintenance of financial control. The Chief Executive is also personally accountable for clinical and corporate governance. The Chief Executive is directly accountable to the Board for ensuring that its decisions are implemented.
Aaron Cummins
Aaron was appointed Chief Executive of the Trust in March 2018 after first joining us in January 2014 as Director of Finance / Deputy Chief Executive.
Before joining UHMBT, Aaron was the Director of Finance / Deputy Chief Executive of Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust – a role he was appointed to in June 2012. Prior to that, he was Director of Finance at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (LHCH).
Aaron started his career in the NHS as a National Graduate Trainee in 2000 and held a number of senior management positions in the finance function before being appointed as Director of Finance at LHCH in August 2009.
Aaron has also held a number of national roles including chair of the Foundation Trust Network Finance Directors’ Forum and the Government Procurement Services (GPS) Customer Board, as well as being a member of the National Procurement Council.
Executive Assistant
Victoria Davies
Victoria.davies@mbht.nhs.uk
T: 01539 715259
The Executive and Associate Directors, led by the Chief Executive, are responsible for the overall management of the Trust. This includes the delivery of services, the management of staff and resources and the development of Trust's strategic direction. The Executive and Associate Directors have individual responsibilities and provides leadership for specific areas of work.
Tabetha Darmon
Chief Nursing Officer
Tabetha Darmon joined UHMBT as Chief Nursing Officer on 1 May 2023 from Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust where she was Executive Director of Nursing, AHPs and Quality. Nottinghamshire Healthcare has more than 9,000 members of staff, and provides integrated healthcare services, including mental health, intellectual disability and physical health services in a variety of settings ranging from the community through to acute wards, as well as secure settings.
Tabetha is a registered Mental Health Nurse, who holds a BA (Hons) in Applied Youth and Community Work, a post graduate diploma in Management, post grad (cert) in Health Promotion, Risk and Society, Prince2 project Management and an MBA. She has more than 30 years’ leadership experience at a local and national level.
Executive Assistant
Georgina Barber
Georgina.Barber1@mbht.nhs.uk
T: 01539 716697
Chris Adcock
Chief Financial Officer and Deputy Chief Executive
Chris joined the Trust in mid-February 2021 from the Sussex NHS Clinical Commissioners where he was the Chief Finance Officer for the three Sussex CCGs, and Finance lead for the Sussex Health and Care Partnership Integrated Care System.
Chris brings a wealth of experience to UHMBT, having worked in the NHS for 23 years. Prior to his role at Sussex NHS, he was Chief Financial Officer at Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust for just under four years, following his roles as Director of Finance for the University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust, and Chief Financial Officer for Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust.
Chris' most recent system leadership role means that he also has in-depth experience and understanding of how individual parts of the health and care system can truly work together for the benefits of local communities, and that is exactly what we are trying to achieve with Bay Health and Care Partners.
Alongside the Director of Finance role, Chris will also be splitting the Deputy Chief Executive role - focusing on system reform and integrated partnership work.
Executive Assistant
trust.hq@mbht.nhs.uk
Alison Balson
Chief People Officer
Alison, known as Ali, has worked in Human Resources in the NHS for more than 20 years and has deep rooted connections to UHMBT having been born at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary and still has family living in the area.
Ali is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and has an MA in Human Resources Management. She also co-chairs the NHS NW HR Director network, where she is currently leading regional work on colleague well-being, and is a member of several national advisory groups.
Executive Assistant
Jane Frill
Jane.Frill@mbht.nhs.uk
Jane McNicholas
Chief Medical Officer
Miss McNicholas joins us from East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT) where she worked as a Consultant Breast and Oncoplastic Surgeon. She first joined ELHT in 2010 and became Clinical Lead for Breast in 2015.
She then took on the role of Clinical Director for Cancer Services in 2016, but gave that up when she became the Medical Director for the Lancashire and South Cumbria Cancer Alliance in 2019. Also in 2019, Miss McNicholas became Deputy Medical Director for Performance and Service Development.
Executive Assistant
Linda Kaplan
Linda.Kaplan@mbht.nhs.uk
T: 01539 716666
Scott Mclean
Chief Operating Officer
Scott joined UHMBT in July 2022. He trained as a nurse in 1992 in Fife, Scotland, and then spent the next 15 years of his career working in Cardiology in Fife, Edinburgh and Dublin. Having completed his PhD in the pre-hospital care of acute coronary syndromes, Scott moved to London in 2010 to take up post as Divisional Director of Nursing at Barts Health NHS Trust.
In 2013, Scott moved back to NHS Fife and was Executive Chief Nurse there before making the switch to become Chief Operating Officer. Scott then moved to Cardiff, Wales, where he was initially Director of Children and Women's Services before becoming Managing Director of the University Hospital of Wales.
The role of the Chief Operating Officer is critical to ensuring consistent quality care for our patients. An effective Chief Operating Officer combines broad operational knowledge with strategic planning; experience which Scott clearly possesses.
Executive Assistant
Lucy Broadhead
Lucy.Broadhead@mbht.nhs.uk
T: 01539 715347
Richard Sachs
Director of Governance
Richard joined UHMBT in November 2021. Previously, he was the Director of Quality Governance at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust with responsibility for quality improvement, risk and assurance, clinical audit and effectiveness, patient experience, claims and inquests, chaplaincy, health and safety and research and development.
He began working in the NHS in 1997 in a succession of governance roles in London before moving to the North West in 2008 where he has worked at Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust and Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Executive Assistant
Judith Palmer
Judith.Palmer@mbht.nhs.uk
T: 01539 716688
Phil Woodford
Director of Corporate Affairs
Phil’s portfolio at UHMBT includes corporate communications, stakeholder relations and engagement.
Phil has worked in the NHS since 1999. He joined joining UHMBT as a marketing manager in 2008, and has led the organisation’s communication and engagement response to a number of high profile issues, in particular the Kirkup report into failings in maternity services at the Trust, published in 2015.
He also contributed to the communications and engagement programme around the Better Care Together Vanguard programme between 2015 and 2018.
He has worked in a variety of business development, senior management and marketing roles in both the public and private sector, and was previously the General Manager at Lancashire Ambulance Service. He holds several marketing qualifications including an MA.
Phil is also a public advisor for the Collaborations for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) for Stroke research programmes and is a regular public speaker on the experiences of surviving a Stroke.
Executive Assistant
Samantha Wittering
samantha.wittering@mbht.nhs.uk
T: 01539 715348
Dr. Sakthi Karunanithi
Advisor to Trust Board
Paul Jones
Company Secretary
Ben Maden
Chair of Union Staff-Side
Lorraine Crossley-Close
Head Governor