New chair appointed at Peterborough City Hospital Trust

Professor Steve Barnett has been appointed as Chair of North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, which runs also runs Hinchingbrooke and Stamford and Rutland Hospitals.

The Trust’s Council of Governors have formally approved Professor Barnett’s appointment, which will begin on 1 April 2022, when he will take over from current Chair Rob Hughes, who has completed his full nine-year term in the role.

Professor Barnett joins the Trust from Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn NHS Foundation Trust where he has served as Chair since 2018 and has successfully led the Trust on an impressive journey of improvement. He brings more than 30 years’ of experience working in senior positions in the NHS and related bodies, at a local and national level, and his appointment will see him return to work in the area in which he lives.

He said: “The hospitals that make up North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust have been my local hospitals for almost three decades. Some of my children were born there and members of my family have received exceptional treatment over recent years, therefore it is an organisation that is extremely close to my heart.

“I very much look forward to joining North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust – and my local hospitals – in the months to come and to working together with staff, Governors, patients, system partners and wider stakeholders to further improve our services and the experience of our patients, their families and staff.”

The Rev Kevin Burdett, Lead Governor of NWAngliaFT’s Council of Governors, said: “We are very pleased to welcome Steve to our hospitals and we look forward to benefitting from his wide-ranging experience at such a time of challenge and change for the NHS, both locally and nationally.”