Countess appoints new Chairman and Chief Executive

The Board of the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust are delighted to announce the appointment of its new Chairman Sir Duncan Nichol CBE who will join the Board in November along with new Chief Executive, Tony Chambers who will join the Trust in December.

In his new role as Chairman, Sir Duncan will lead the Trust Board of Directors and Council of Governors in setting the strategic direction of the Trust, and ensuring  the Trust provides the best possible care to the communities it serves. 

Sir Duncan said, "I am delighted to be joining the Board of the Countess at this challenging and exciting time for the Trust. My passion for the Countess is long-standing, from its development in the early 80's when I was the responsible Regional Administrator, through to the present day as a 30 year resident of Heswall. I am looking forward to meeting my new colleagues soon and playing my part in taking the Trust forward in the future."

Sir Duncan takes over from Sir Jim Sharples who is retiring from the Chairman role he has fulfilled since the Countess achieved Foundation Trust status in 2005. Sir Jim was first appointed to the Trust Board in January 2001 as a Non-Executive Director.

Current Chief Executive Peter Herring said, "I am delighted that Sir Duncan has been appointed as our new Chairman, he has an outstanding record of public service and I am sure he will prove an excellent successor to Sir Jim, who has made a tremendous contribution to the success of the Trust over many years."

The Trust's new Chief Executive, Tony Chambers will join the Trust in December.Tony is an experienced NHS leader with a strong track record of managing large scale acute hospital services. From starting his career as a student nurse in Bolton in 1985 he has worked in a variety of clinical and management roles in a range of sectors; most recently as the Director of Planning, Performance and Delivery at Hywel dda Health Board in South Wales. Prior to this he held Executive Director Roles in hospitals in Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire.

Tony said, "I am looking forward to joining a new board team and working with clinicians and managers to build upon the excellent work of the current Chairman Sir Jim Sharples and Chief Executive, Peter Herring."

"I am very excited about the opportunity to work with local health, social care and other partners to continue the development of excellent health services that meet current and future health need for the people in the communities we serve throughout Cheshire, Ellesmere Port, Neston and North Wales."

Accountable to the Chair, the Chief Executive is personally responsible for ensuring the delivery of a high quality, cost effective service which is responsive to the needs of those under the care of the Trust. Tony will also have the responsibility for leading the delivery of the Trust's transformational plans to ensure the continued delivery of high quality services  which are significantly extending the range of specialist services the Countess provides to a wider population. This will be in addition to ensuring that the Trust responds, in collaboration with its healthcare partners, to the highly challenging financial environment.