Trust appoints David Highton as new Chair
NHS England / NHS Improvement has confirmed the appointment of David Highton as Chair of Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust. David succeeds Hattie Llewelyn-Davies who is leaving the Trust after almost 8 years. Hattie moves onto fresh challenges having been appointed as the chair of The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust.
David, who originally trained as a Chartered Accountant, began his career with the NHS as a Finance Director in 1990 before being appointed Chief Executive of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Trust and then Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust. He was also previously Ministerial Advisor on Private Involvement and Public Private Partnership to the Minister of Public Health in Qatar.
Commenting on the announcement Neil Macdonald, chief executive of Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, said: “Under Hattie’s leadership the Trust has been on a remarkable journey thanks to the dedication of our colleagues, partners and volunteers, moving out of special measures to achieving ‘good’ with ‘outstanding for caring’ in our last CQC inspection in 2019. Both the Trust and me personally are extraordinarily grateful for Hattie’s wisdom, compassion, leadership and most importantly, her staunch advocacy for our residents. With his wealth of experience in healthcare, both here and overseas, and a commitment to driving change, David is ideally placed to lead our team on the next phase of our journey”
David added, “This is an exciting time to be joining Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust. To meet the changing needs of the population, especially those living in deprived areas, will require significant transformation of how we and our partners provide care. I am passionate about working with Neil and the Board, our colleagues, partners and the community to deliver the Trust’s vision to provide outstanding care, healthy communities and a great place to work.”
David joins Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust on the 4 January 2022.