Appointment of a new Chief Executive Officer, Countess of Chester Hospital

It is with great pleasure that following a full and open external recruitment process, I can announce that Jane Tomkinson OBE has been appointed as the substantive Chief Executive Officer at the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

The Board and I are very pleased to have recruited someone of Jane’s experience to continue to lead the Trust through the challenges that lie ahead. Jane joins us from Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, where she has been Chief Executive for over ten years. I know that colleagues at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital will feel her departure keenly but I hope that the strong ties that now exist between the two trusts will continue.

Over the past 11 months, Jane has provided leadership and support to the Countess on an interim basis. We are now working with Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital to arrange a formal start date but in the interim, Jane will continue to work across both Trusts.

The work that Jane has led whilst supporting the Countess in an Acting Chief Executive Officer capacity, has focused on getting the basics back in place and working together as a team to tackle the most important challenges. My Board colleagues and I are looking forward to continuing this work with Jane to ensure we build on these foundations and continue to focus on our patients and what they need and expect from us.

I am confident that with Jane continuing at the helm, we will have greater stability and stronger leadership in place to focus on what we need to do to improve. With honesty, openness, learning and a clear focus on valuing staff at the heart of Jane’s approach, I am confident that we can continue to enhance the quality and safety of our services and really focus on what counts for our patients.

I am delighted to welcome Jane to the Trust on a permanent basis and know that as we look to the future and strive to achieve great things, she has the passion, commitment and drive to lead us through the challenges on the road ahead.

Best wishes,

Ian Haythornthwaite
Chair