Appointments
Vanessa Singleton (pictured) has been appointed deputy director of finance, financial reporting and statutory accounts at the Department of Health and Social Care. She moves from Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, where she has been the interim associate director of finance. James Drury has taken up the role of director of finance and estates at North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust. He replaces Stuart Diggles, who held the position on an interim basis. Mr Drury, who has 15 years’ experience as an NHS finance director, was previously chief finance officer at Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
John Beswick has been appointed chief finance officer at Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. He was previously chief finance officer in BT Group’s Technology division, where he was responsible for all of the company’s financial, commercial and risk activities across the world. Mr Beswick takes over from Margaret Ashworth, who had been in the position on an interim basis since July 2022.
Sheila Stenson (pictured) is to take over as chief executive of Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust. Ms Stenson has more than 20 years of NHS experience and currently serves as the trust’s deputy chief executive and chief finance and resources officer. She will replace Helen Greatorex, who has been chief executive for the past seven years and is retiring this autumn after 40 years of working in mental health. Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust has recruited Phil Cave as chief finance officer. Mr Cave joins Hertfordshire having served as chief finance officer of East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust for the past five years. He takes over from Maria Wheeler, who has joined the Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust as deputy director of finance.
Caroline Clarke (pictured) has been appointed regional director of NHS London. Ms Clarke, who served as president of the HFMA in 2020 and 2021, moves from her previous role as group chief executive at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, a position she has held since 2019. Prior to that, she was the trust’s chief finance officer and deputy chief executive. Ms Clarke takes over at NHS London from Helen Pettersen, who has been regional director on an interim basis since the end of 2022. Meanwhile, Peter Landstrom has been appointed acting group chief executive at the Royal Free. He was previously the trusts group chief delivery officer and deputy group chief executive.Chandler named ICB executive finance director
David Chandler (pictured) has been appointed executive director of finance at North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB). Mr Chandler was previously chief finance officer at NHS Sunderland and moved across to the ICB when it was created in July 2022. He was appointed acting director of finance in September and moved to the substantive role following a full recruitment process at the end of March.
It has been a challenging first year for all ICBs. North East and North Cumbria did deliver a small surplus, and the integrated care system also delivered a financially balanced outturn. However, 2023/24 and beyond look more difficult, with the need as a system to work on a medium term financial plan that will enable the delivery of high quality services in a sustainable way.
‘We have to do this at the same time as looking to make a dramatic improvement in health outcomes and reducing health inequalities,’ said Mr Chandler.
According to the system’s integrated care strategy, life expectancy at birth has been persistently below the English average for a long time – just over two years shorter for women and two and a half years for men. Healthy life expectancy also trails the national average and there are significant health inequalities across a patch that includes very rural areas and big cities.
‘The North East has probably been the hardest hit area in the country in terms of the impact of Covid-19 and we need to recover from that,’ he said.
However, he added that the board also had some major benefits. These include the support of its chairman, Sir Liam Donaldson, who as the former national chief medical officer played a major role in public health initiatives such as ending smoking in public places.
Within the finance department, Mr Chandler is keen to promote the equality, diversity and inclusion agenda, working with North East and Yorkshire diversity and inclusion ambassador network chair Amy Whitaker.
He also wants to see more local finance departments across the system gain One NHS Finance accreditation for staff development.
It is a busy agenda, but Mr Chandler singles out the net zero challenge, which he also leads on behalf of the board. There are concerns that current financial challenges will make it difficult to make progress on reducing the service’s carbon footprint, but Mr Chandler thinks there is a lot that can be done.
'It is about identifying and harnessing the energy that is out there around net zero,' he says. ' We need to make sure we gain those green benefits that often go hand in hand. We need to set ourselves up so we don't miss these opportunities.'
Mr Chandler is a judge for this year's HFMA Environmental Sustainability Award.
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