CIO appointed as trust’s chief for two years

A community trust has appointed its chief information and transformation officer as chief executive in a fixed two-year interim capacity, it has announced.

Derbyshire Community Health Services Foundation Trust confirmed today that Jim Austin would be interim CEO from this September to April 2026.

It follows Tracy Allen, who has led DCHS for 13 years, announcing she will leave in September, saying she wanted to step back “on a high”.

Trust chair Julie Houlder said Mr Austin would work closely with Ms Allen before she leaves and his existing work will be “seamlessly transferred in the coming months”.

Mr Austin is currently also CIO for Derby and Derbyshire Integrated Care Board, and Ms Houlder said he would leave this role while interim CEO.

She added on the trust’s future recruitment plans: “The appointment will take us to April 2026, and we expect to conduct a full recruitment exercise later in 2025 to be able to appoint to the role substantively from April 2026.”

It is currently rated “outstanding” by the Care Quality Commission.