NHS Humber Health Partnership (HHP) has announced that NHS England has approved the appointment of Murray Macdonald as its new interim Chair.
Sean Lyons announced that he will be stepping down from the role earlier this month, after four years in post, and Murray will now be taking over.
HHP is a partnership between Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (HUTH) and Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust (NLaG), and Mr Macdonald is now a joint interim Chair of both organisations.
He has also received the approval of the NLaG Council of Governors in accordance with the requirements of an NHS foundation trust and will take up his new role from Monday 13th October.
For the past nine months, Murray has been a Non-Executive Director with the Partnership, and as a result brings a wealth of experience into the role of interim chair. He has served in various other NHS Non-Executive roles in Community Health, Commissioning, the East of England Ambulance Service, as well as the Lincolnshire ICB Finance Committee, and also is a highly experienced Chief Executive in the housing sector.
He said: “It is a privilege to be appointed as joint Chair of Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust. This is an exciting time to join the partnership which cares for well over a million people across our region. I know that we have some challenges ahead of us and I am excited to have the opportunity to work with our senior leaders to improve the care we provide and the access to that care for our local population.”
Lyn Simpson, interim Chief Executive at both HUTH and NLaG said: “Although I have only been with the Partnership for a short time I have enjoyed working with Murray and I know he is an excellent appointment for our organisation. His knowledge and previous experience will be a valuable asset to us as we look to position our organisation as a great place to receive care and treatment.
“I would like to pay a special tribute to Sean Lyons for the years of service he has given to HUTH and NLaG. He was the driving force behind the establishment of the NHS Humber Health Partnership and on behalf of the executive team I would like to thank him for his service.”
The combined HHP organisation manages five hospitals (Hull Royal Infirmary, Castle Hill Hospital, Scunthorpe General Hospital, Diana Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby and Goole District Hospital) as well as community services on the south bank of the Humber and overall has an annual budget of £1.4bn and employs 19,000 staff.
