New shared leadership arrangements for expanded hospital group | News

The Group Chair and Group Chief Executive roles shared by Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust are expanding to include Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (QVH).

From next month, Joss Bigmore will formally take on the role of Group Chair and Louise Stead will become Group Chief Executive for QVH, alongside their existing responsibilities at Ashford and St Peter’s and Royal Surrey.

At QVH, Angela McNab, currently Interim Chair, will become Deputy Chair and a Non-Executive Director on the Trust Board. Tamara Everington will provide dedicated day-to-day leadership as newly appointed Managing Director of QVH, having previously served as the trust’s Chief Medical Officer. Together they will provide valuable continuity and help drive collaboration across the partnership.

The new arrangements mark the next step in the development of this partnership, with the three trusts working more closely together to improve patient care and services, share expertise, strengthen clinical and professional networks and create learning and development opportunities for staff. 

Each organisation will remain an independent NHS foundation trust, with its own board, council of governors, statutory responsibilities and local accountability.

Joss Bigmore, Group Chair, said: “This is an important step in bringing our partnership to life. QVH brings distinctive expertise, innovation and a strong identity to the group, and I am looking forward to working with colleagues and governors as we build on those strengths.

“Each of our three trusts has an important role in the communities it serves. By working more closely together while retaining that local focus and accountability, we have a real opportunity to make our organisations stronger and deliver even greater care for patients.”

Louise Stead, Group Chief Executive, said: “I’m delighted to take on the role of Group Chief Executive across QVH, Ashford and St Peter’s and Royal Surrey.

“QVH is a very special organisation with an exceptional clinical reputation, a proud history and expertise that benefits patients far beyond its East Grinstead site. Our ambition is to build on the individual strengths of all three trusts, learning from one another and identifying where working together can improve care, strengthen services and create new opportunities for our people. I’m very much looking forward to working with Tamara and colleagues across QVH as we begin this next chapter together.”

The appointments follow the boards of all three trusts approving the expansion of the existing Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals and Royal Surrey group to include QVH in July 2026, after more than seven months of collaborative planning, analysis and assurance work.

Tamara Everington, Managing Director of Queen Victoria Hospital, said: “It is a real privilege to take on the role of Managing Director at such an important point in QVH’s journey. Having been Chief Medical Officer here since October 2024, I have seen first-hand the expertise and commitment of our people and the outstanding care they provide to patients. That knowledge and continuity will be important as we enter this next phase. We have much to learn from one another, and QVH also has a great deal of expertise to contribute.”

Angela McNab, Interim Chair of Queen Victoria Hospital, said: “This is another significant milestone for QVH, giving us dedicated leadership here at the Trust alongside strong shared leadership across the partnership. It has been a real privilege to serve as Interim Chair and I am delighted to be continuing as Deputy Chair. I have enormous admiration for QVH, its people and its unique role within the NHS, and I look forward to helping ensure those strengths and QVH’s distinctive identity remain at the heart of the partnership as it develops.”