Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust has announced that the Trust’s Chair, Robert Clarke, is to leave at the end of February 2024 when his current term of office comes to an end after eight years in the role.
Robert joined Liverpool Women’s in March 2016 after seven years as a Non-Executive Director and Vice-Chair at Lancashire Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Outside of his NHS role, Robert is the managing partner of a family dairy farm.
Following his announcement, Robert said: “As many of you know Non-Executive roles are time limited, and as my current term of office comes to an end, it is with a very heavy heart that I will be leaving a role that I have genuinely loved every minute of at Liverpool Women’s. I knew from the very first time I walked through the door this was a special place.”
“It has been a privilege to work with so many talented and passionate people across the whole organisation over these last eight years. There has never been a day that has gone by when I haven’t been truly inspired by the quality of care that everyone provides here, putting women, babies and other people we care for, at the heart of everything you do. It has been an honour to be part of the Liverpool Women’s family.
“Eight years feels like a long time but I can honestly say that it has flown by. We have seen so many changes over the last few years at Liverpool Women’s – we have invested in our people and our facilities including our maternity services, the new Neonatal Unit, and more recently our permanent CT and MRI scanning suite, to give just a few examples.
“Of course, there have also been challenging things that we have had to contend with over the years as well. The Covid pandemic and the explosion outside the hospital immediately spring to mind, but it has always been apparent to me how staff at Liverpool Women’s come together during challenging times, and these recent events were a perfect example of this.
“I am leaving at an exciting time for the Trust, with a new Chief Executive soon to join us. I know this will bring opportunities to continue to improve and strengthen our services and I will continue to work towards this and to making our new leadership a success in my remaining months of office.”
Chief Executive, Kathryn Thomson, said: “It has been a privilege to work with Robert as our Chair over the last eight years. His commitment to the Trust and, most importantly, to ensuring that our patients and families are looked after by holding everyone to account, has been invaluable. We have been fortunate to benefit from Robert’s compassion and integrity in his role and he will be missed across the Trust when he leaves. I would like to say a huge thank you for his support for me personally, along with my Board colleagues past and present.”
Robert will remain in his role until his current term of office ends in February 2024.
Following this announcement, we have some further updates on plans for Robert’s successor.
Liverpool Women’s has reached agreement with Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (LUHFT) to pursue a joint-Chair appointment which will commence from March 2024.
The practice of joint-Chairs in NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts is becoming increasingly common. This can be done for several reasons, including:
- To encourage collaboration between trusts. This can lead to improved efficiency and effectiveness, as well as better patient care.
- To help to facilitate collaboration in service provision, particularly for specialised services. This can lead to better outcomes for patients.
- To help build relationships across trusts as well as stabilising leadership teams. This can be particularly important during times of change or uncertainty.
- To aid system working and the creation of an integrated healthcare system – working with partners and sharing services. This can lead to better outcomes for patients and a more sustainable healthcare system.
The Trust’s Council of Governors’ Nomination and Remuneration Committee has now taken joint responsibility with LUHFT to undertake the recruitment process for a joint-Chair.
The recruitment process is due to start in early November, with interviews scheduled for December. The successful candidate is expected to start in the role from March 2024. Further updates on this appointment will be shared in due course.