The purpose of the Trust Board is to govern effectively and in doing so build patient, public and stakeholder confidence that their health and healthcare is in safe hands.
This fundamental accountability to the public and stakeholders is delivered by building confidence:
In the quality and safety of health services
That resources are invested in a way that delivers optimal health outcomes
In the accessibility and responsiveness of health services
That patients and the public can help to shape health services to meet their needs
That public money is spent in a way that is fair, efficient, effective and economic
The Board should demonstrate leadership by undertaking three key roles:
Formulating strategy for the organisation
Ensuring accountability by:
Holding the organisation to account for the delivery of the strategy
By being accountable for ensuring the organisation operates effectively and with openness, transparency and candour and by seeking assurance that systems of control are robust and reliable.
Shaping a healthy culture for the Board and the organisation.
Executive Directors
Executive Directors take the lead in developing strategic proposals, drawing on professional and clinical experience. They lead on the implementation of strategy within functional areas and manage performance within their area.
Executive Directors will also actively support and promote a positive culture for the organisation and reflect this in their own behaviour and nurture good leadership at all levels. They will take principle responsibility for providing accurate, timely and clear information to the board and lead on engagement with specific internal or external stakeholder groups.
Responsibilities
Chief Executive for George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust
George Eliot Hospital is part of a foundation group of hospitals along with the South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust (SWFT) and Wye Valley NHS Trust (WVT). Mr Burley is Chief Executive for all three hospitals.
The Chief Executive is responsible for leading the Executive Directors in setting the Group and the Trust’s strategic aims, developing shared understanding and commitment to these aims, and working with Board colleagues, managers and staff, partner organisations in the local and system wide health economy and appropriate external organisations.
The Chief Executive provides visible leadership that models exemplary behaviours of personal integrity and inspires and empowers staff.
The Chief Executive works with the Chairman to ensure that the Board maintains its capacity and is continually developed in order to remain ‘fit for purpose’ in the context of a changing NHS and wider healthcare environment. In support of these responsibilities a key part of the Chief Executive role is a focus on the integration agenda, system leadership and partnership working.
To this end, this role involves robust engagement with stakeholders, commissioners, other health and social care providers, public, private and third sector partners, children and families, to maximise the opportunities for improved service delivery at every opportunity.
(Voting George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust Board member)
Biography
Glen began his NHS career in 1983 as a finance trainee, qualifying as a Chartered Public Finance Accountant in 1990. After reaching the position of Director of Finance for South Warwickshire Mental Health Services NHS Trust, he moved into an acute operational role when he became Director of Operations for the Surgical Division of University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust.
In 2003 he was appointed as Deputy Chief Executive to Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust and joined South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust in 2006, initially as interim Chief Executive and then substantively in 2008. Following the proposal for George Eliot Hospital to join the Foundation Group of Hospitals comprising South Warwickshire NHS Foundation trust and Wye Valley NHS Trust, Glen was appointed as Chief Executive at George Eliot Hospital in July 2018.
Managing Director for George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust (Appointed June 2023)
The Managing Director is responsible for the day to day management of the Trust on behalf of the Chief Executive - leading the Executive Team and Chairing the Trust Management Board. This role encompasses the development and implementation of the Trust strategy, the management of relationships, engagement with staff and stakeholders and embedding partnerships with key stakeholders to the organisation, overseeing all communications activity across the Trust, both internally and externally, and the delivery of the Board Assurance Framework.
George Eliot Hospital is part of a foundation group of hospitals along with the South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust (SWFT) and Wye Valley NHS Trust (WVT). Catherine is one of the three Managing Directors in post at each of the three hospitals.
(Voting George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust Board member)
Biography
Dr Catherine Free qualified in Medicine with honours in 1996 and was appointed as a Consultant in Respiratory Medicine at the Glenfield Hospital in Leicester in 2006. She has held senior clinical leadership roles since 2012, including Clinical Director for Emergency and Specialist Medicine and Deputy Medical Director and Responsible Officer for University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust.
Catherine joined George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust in October 2017 as Chief Medical Officer, and since then has driven the project to create a Community Diagnostic Centre on the Trust site, managed the hospital’s medical response to the pandemic and led the development of clinical and safety strategies for the organisation. She was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Coventry University in 2022 in recognition of her role alongside her colleagues in George Eliot Hospital’s significant contribution to the Covid-19 response. Catherine became Interim Managing Director in February 2023.
Contact details
Telephone: 02476 351351
PA: Leanne Hanson
Responsibilities
Chief Medical Officer for George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust (Appointed March 2023)
The Chief Medical Officer role includes specific responsibility for the development of a forward thinking clinical and quality strategy for the Trust. They are responsible for leading and directing the Trust’s medical workforce, patient safety and mortality, end of life care, clinical audit, research and development, job planning, revalidation and medical education and training. This role also acts as a Guardian of Safe Working Hours and the output of the medical rota team.
The Chief Medical Officer is the Responsible Officer for Medical Revalidation, is responsible for the clinical sign off of complaints and acts as the organisation’s Caldicott Guardian.
(Voting George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust Board member)
Robin Snead is George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust's Chief Operating Officer. Robin joined the Trust in May 2022.
The Chief Operating Officer is responsible for co-ordinating and delivering performance against national and local clinical operational and performance standards. The Chief Operating Officer is responsible for ensuring that there is an operational structure in place which has the capacity and capability to lead services to deliver against these standards. This role provides high profile leadership which adheres to the core values of the Trust, with responsibility for ensuring the delivery of safe and high quality patient care by each of the clinical divisions and directorates through a robust system of planning, service delivery and performance management.
The Chief Operating Officer is responsible for the leadership of service development, elective and emergency care transformation and productivity and efficiency. The Chief Operating Officer has a key role to play in integration with the wider health and social care system to ensure it is fully developed in line with the overarching corporate strategy.
The Chief Operating Officer leads on estates, facilities and security management, hotel services, health and safety, mental health, radiation protection and emergency preparedness.
(Non-voting George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust Board member)
Biography
Robin started his career in the NHS in 1996, qualifying with a BSc Hons Degree in Nursing with Registered Nurse qualification from the University of Hertfordshire.
He has worked in various ward based clinical nursing roles, culminating as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Vascular Studies.
Robin joined the NHS Graduate Financial Management Training Scheme and qualified as a Management Accountant, as a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), in 2002.
He has since worked in various managerial roles, from group manager to Director of Operations of two divisions at University Hospital Birmingham Foundation Trust from 2000 to 2014 and Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, until 2017. He also spent a year working with Worcestershire Clinical Commissioning Group as Director of Urgent Care.
Before joining George Eliot Hospital in May 2022, Robin was Deputy Chief Operating Officer at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, from 2018 to April 2022.
The Chief People Officer oversees the development and delivery of the workforce strategy and implementation plans and acts as the Board’s Expert Advisor on Human Resources, Employment Tribunal activity, Organisational Development and education and training. This includes the provision of a strategic and professional advisory service to the Trust in respect of people management, staff experience, and engagement, and development and demonstration of the Trust’s value pledges at all times. In addition the role covers workforce health and wellbeing, occupational health, equality and diversity, employment legislation and medical staffing.
The Chief People Officer also acts as the executive lead for Freedom to Speak Up and is the Chief Knowledge Officer for the Trust.
(Non-voting George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust Board member)
The Chief Nursing Officer provides professional leadership for nursing, midwifery and AHPs, advising the Board on all aspects of professional practice for these groups. They are also the Accountable Officer for controlled drugs (CDs) and the DIPC (Director of Infection Prevention and Control).
The Chief Nursing Officer is responsible for adult and children’s safeguarding, patient and public involvement and experience, risk management, infection prevention and control, the development and management of the Trust volunteer strategy, smoking cessation and the management of the complaints and chaplaincy teams. The Chief Nursing Officer leads on the development and delivery of systems and processes which relates to Clinical Governance within the Trust.
(Voting George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust Board member)
Biography
Natalie Green, joined the Trust on 1 August 2022 as Chief Nursing Officer.
Natalie brings 15 years’ experience of nursing management working in various parts of the country but latterly, working at deputy level at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust.
Jenni has held the position of Chief Strategy, Improvement and Partnerships Officer since September 2021. She joined George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust in November 2019 as Chief Strategy, Service Transformation & Primary Care Officer.
Biography
Jenni has held senior roles within the NHS, public sector and third sector and has extensive experience of leading strategic change programmes.
Before assuming her current role in September 2021, Jenni worked for Birmingham South Central CCG before joining the Warwickshire North CCG in February 2015 as Director for Partnerships and Engagement.
She became Chief Strategy and Primary Care Officer at George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust with overall responsibility for commissioning, primary care development communications and engagement in November 2019. She has supported Warwickshire North place development since 2019.
Haq Khan is Chief Finance & Performance Officer for George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust. Haq joined the Trust from Worcester Acute Hospitals NHS Trust on 4 December 2017.
The Chief Finance & Performance Officer takes a central role in ensuring the development and governance of financial strategies and policies to support the delivery of patient care for the Trust Board. A key member of the Trust Board’s Executive Team, providing advice on all matters of financial and charitable fund management, probity and governance.
The Chief Finance & Performance Officer leads discussions with commissioners on behalf of the Trust to establish robust contractual arrangements for Trust Services; this includes all service level agreements (SLAs) and the nursing and midwifery bursary (NMB) contracts.
They provide effective and professional leadership to the Finance and Performance Directorate.
The post holds specific responsibility as the executive lead for the performance framework, planning and finance management. The Chief Finance & Performance Officer acts as the Lead Executive in support of the Chairs of the Audit Committee and the Finance and Performance Committee.
The Chief Finance & Performance Officer has responsibility for the Strategic Estates Partnerships (SEP) estates planning and transformation, is the Senior Information Risk Owner (SIRO), and the Senior Responsible Officer (SRO) for procurement, clinical coding and the Trust information team.
Biography
Haq joins the Trust from Worcester Acute Hospitals NHS Trust where he has served as Director of Performance and Deputy Director of Finance.
Haq, a qualified accountant and graduate of Bangor University, has also held senior finance roles at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire and the Heart of England Foundation Trust. He is familiar with the area having previously worked in Nuneaton for North Warwickshire Primary Care Trust.
Non-executive directors bring independency, external perspectives, skills and challenge to strategy development. They hold the executive team to account for the delivery of strategy and offer purposeful, constructive scrutiny and challenges. They also act as chairs and participants of key committees that support accountability.
Non-executive directors actively support and promote a healthy culture for the organisation and reflect this in their own behaviour and provide visible leadership in developing a healthy culture so that staff believe they provide a safe point of access to the board for raising concerns. They also satisfy themselves of the integrity of financial and quality intelligence including getting out and about, observing and talking to patients and staff. They ensure the board acts in the best interests of patients and the public.
Responsibilities
Russell Hardy is the Chairman of George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust. He started his role on 1 April 2019.
Biography
Russell joins the Trust alongside his role as chairman of the two other hospitals in the Foundation Group of which George Eliot Hospital is a member – South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust and Wye Valley NHS Trust.
He brings a wealth of experience from working in both NHS trusts and private companies, with a firm understanding of working in large organisations and overseeing strategic developments.
Contact details
Telephone: 02476 351351
Responsibilities
Julie Houlder has financial and senior management experience and is the Vice Chair and Senior Independent Director. She is the Non-Executive Director lead for Doctors Disciplinary, Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response, and Integrated Care Board People Committee. Julie is a member of the Foundation Group Strategy Committee, the Trust’s Audit Committee, Appointments and Remuneration Committee and Charity Trustee. She shares a broad range of skills and experience with services to support the delivery of excellent health care services.
Biography
Julie Houlder joined the George Eliot Hospital Trust Board in May 2016 to help make a difference to the lives of people in Nuneaton, Bedworth, North Warwickshire and surrounding areas.
Julie has financial and senior management experience and will be chairing sub committees within the Trust.
Julie, who lives in Solihull, had started her career in the health service in 1979 before moving into a career in transport, where she had been Head of Finance and an Executive Board Member at CENTRO for the last ten years. Her experience includes financial management, board management, coaching and mentoring skills. She also enjoys people development and strategic planning. Recently she had the opportunity to take early retirement and to use her skills and experience within other fields.
Julie said: “I really wanted to get back into the Health Service and my role as Non-Executive Director will give me an opportunity to share my broad skill set. It is an exciting time to work within the NHS with all of the changes being implemented. People are at the centre of delivering excellent services so I am really excited to be given the opportunity to get involved here at the George Eliot.”
Simone Jordan joined George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust in November 2018. Simone is Audit Committee Chair and a member of the Trust’s Appointments and Remuneration Committee and Charity Trustee.
Biography
Having worked at board level for over 20 years, most recently as an Associate Non-Executive Director for the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in Birmingham. she has significant leadership and organisation development expertise within the NHS. Her experience also spans the service and hospitality sectors, manufacturing, health, higher education and other public sector organisations.
Simone has considerable leadership experience and is also a qualified coach, mentor and facilitator with a comprehensive grasp of organisational dynamics, governance and accountability frameworks.
She has led numerous major cultural and organisation change programmes across multiple organisations and has shown tremendous aptitude for building and developing teams and knowledge of the healthcare system.
Contact details
Telephone: 02476 351351
Responsibilities
Sarah joined the Board as a Non-Executive Director in July 2022. She is Quality Assurance Committee Chair and the Non-Executive lead for Patient Experience and End of Life Care. Sarah is a member of the Trust’s Appointments and Remuneration Committee and Charity Trustee. Sarah is also the Chair of the Organ Donation Committee.
Biography
Sarah is a GP who qualified from Imperial College London in 1999 and after a brief career in General Surgery has been a GP since 2005 working in Coventry since 2014 where she lives with her vicar husband and 3 children. She is passionate about understanding the wider determinants of health and reducing health inequalities and shares the EXCEL values of the George Eliot.
Sarah had been the Chair of the Coventry and Warwickshire CCG (and formerly of Warwickshire North, Coventry and Rugby CCG) and continues as Deputy Chair of the Marmot Partnership and is a Non-Executive Member of Herefordshire and Worcestershire ICB.
Responsibilities
Umar joined the Board as a Non-Executive Director in July 2022. He is the Non-Executive Director lead for Freedom to Speak Up. Umar is a member of Audit Committee, Appointments and Remuneration Committee and Charity Trustee.
Biography
Umar is the Managing Partner and founder of Zebra Associates. He has experience of working in several sectors and has held senior executive roles in Higher Education, Social enterprise, NHS, Fire & Rescue Service, Policing and the Civil Service where he was an advisor in private office to the Home Secretary and senior civil servants. He has led national and international projects on culture change, leadership and Inclusion, People development strategies and supported on complex employee relations issues.
Umar is also an accomplished conference speaker on the national and international circuit. He has keynoted at conferences in UK, Turkey, USA, Canada, Jamaica, Denmark, India and many others. He has also held prestigious board positions as a Non-Executive Director on several national and local Boards such as Association of Commonwealth Universities HR Committee, George Elliot Hospital NHS Trust, Healthwatch England and Sheffield Theatres Trust.
Responsibilities
Anil Majithia joined George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust as an Associate Non-Executive Director on 1 April 2018. He became a Non-Executive Director on 1 September 2018. Anil is Charity Trustee Chair, a member of Audit Committee, Appointments and Remuneration Committee and Charity Trustee.
Biography
Anil is a highly experienced global executive with significant Board Level experience and holds a portfolio of Board roles locally. He brings with him extensive expertise around governance, strategic, risk and financial management, as well as delivering transformation change. He is very effective at working with senior executive, influencing stakeholders and contributing to overall wellbeing of the organizations and their future sustainability.
With over 30 years’ commercial experience of working in private and management consultancy organisations, he has a successful track record and expertise in leading global teams, and delivering major transitional, lean and transformational change programmes, (Technology, Business, Culture, Efficiency and Organizational) within different industry sectors including Financial Services, Defense, Banking, Utilities, Consumer Products and Transportations.
He is currently Chair of Voluntary Action LeicesterShire, Governor at Coventry University, Non-Executive Director for Coventry University Colleges Ltd, and Serious Games International Ltd, and an independent member of Governance Committee, for Science Council. He is also a Corporation member of North Warwickshire, Hinckley and South Leicestershire College as well as a board member for Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP), representing voluntary and community sector.
Anil holds an MBA and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management, a Chartered Engineer, Fellow of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, and a Chartered IT Professional
Responsibilities
Rosie joined the Board as a Non-Executive Director in July 2022. She is the Non-Executive Director lead for Research and Development, Wellbeing Guardian and Volunteering. Rosie is a member of the Quality Assurance Committee and Appointments and Remuneration Committee and also attends Charity Trustee.
Biography
Professor Rosie Kneafsey is the Director for the Centre for Healthcare Research and also Strategic lead for knowledge and engagement for the Centre for Care Excellence.
Prior to this she was the Head of School, for Nursing, Midwifery and Health, Coventry University. Her career began as a registered nurse and she has worked as a researcher and teacher during her time at both Salford University and Birmingham University, joining Coventry University in 2011.
In 2012 Rosie completed her PhD which examined the nursing contribution to hospitalised older adults’ mobility rehabilitation.
She is currently engaged in research relating to nursing, midwifery and education.
Responsibilities
Jackie joined the Board as an Associate Non-Executive Director in September 2023. Jackie is the Non-Executive Director lead for Maternity. She is a member of Audit Committee, Quality Assurance Committee and Appointments and Remuneration Committee and also attends Charity Trustee.
Biography
Jackie is a qualified Chartered Accountant (ACA) with over thirty-five years’ experience working at senior manager and director level in the health, housing, adult social care, central government, local government, private and not for profit sectors.
She is also currently a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee of Tuntum Housing Association.
Jackie brings extensive knowledge of finance and corporate governance to the role and holds an Advanced Corporate Governance Certificate. She is committed to seeing how diversity can be improved and to helping to remove health inequalities for the communities served by the Trust.
Responsibilities
Paul joined the Board as an Associate Non-Executive Director in September 2023. He’s a member of Audit Committee and Appointments and Remuneration Committee and also attends Charity Trustee.
Biography
Paul has worked within and alongside the NHS for over three decades providing expert audit and consultancy services. He has previously held the role as a Director at PWC and has also ran a leading internal audit and consultancy organisation across the region.
Paul is a qualitied accountant who is an expert in risk management, governance and internal control covering providing audit and consultancy services to the NHS, public and private sectors alongside housing and third sector organisations.
Paul brings extensive knowledge and experience of the operation and management of boards and audit committees to ensure that Trusts are overseen and held to account appropriately.
Trust Secretary
Sarah Collett is the Trust Secretary for George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust and South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust.
The Trust Secretary is responsible for providing expert advice and support to the Chief Executive, Trust Chair and Trust Board on all matters relating to the Trust’s corporate governance responsibilities.
