Revealed: CEO and exec turnover at each acute trust

Some acute trusts have kept more than half of their executive directors over a five-year period – whereas others have seen all of them change, according to HSJ analysis of top-level managerial stability.

HSJ looked at the number of executive directors who had been in place between April 2017 and April 2022, by examining annual reports and board papers.

One trust – Southport and Ormskirk – had five CEOs during the five year period, and three other trusts had four.

The national average was more than two different CEOs at each trust across the five years. Thirty-one trusts (out of 108 listed) had three different CEOs during the period, and just 23 trusts had one.

NHS Providers interim chief executive Saffron Cordery said: “This analysis underlines the value of long-term investment in NHS trust leadership. It highlights too the danger of chopping and changing leaders amid longstanding financial, capacity, workforce and other structural pressures on the health system.

“It is vital to invest in people alongside operational priorities. More must be done to guarantee a robust and diverse pipeline of leaders, equipped to take on crucial roles.”

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Source: HSJ, 22 August 2022