Ex-brewery boss to chair hospital

A trust with one of England’s largest cost-improvement programmes has appointed a new interim chair and interim finance director.

Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn Foundation Trust announced this week that Andy Wood would take up the role of interim chair.

Mr Wood is currently chair of the East Coast Community Healthcare CIC, a social enterprise providing community-based health services in Norfolk and Suffolk.

He replaces Chris Lawrence, who resigned for “personal reasons” after just two years in the role. 

Trust CEO Alice Webster said Mr Wood, “a successful businessman”, was joining the trust at an important time as it set out its plan for its new hospital.

“I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank Chris for his time as our chair,” she added. “His contributions have made a positive impact on the trust and our community, and we wish him well in his future endeavours.”

Until July this year, Mr Wood was CEO of Adnams, the Suffolk brewery, for 14 years. He is currently also chair of both Norse Group and Visit East of England.

HSJ has also learned that the trust has appointed Lorraine Hooper as interim finance director. Ms Hooper replaces Chris Benham, who left the trust on 30 November, having joined in January 2020.

The trust has been tasked with finding savings of close to 10 per cent of its budget, as revealed by HSJ. This was the second largest of any of the 150 trusts that responded to HSJ’s request for data.

But in November its finances for the financial year were already off trajectory and delivery of its savings target rests on several ambitious programmes, including driving down temporary staffing costs and significantly increasing elective activity.

One of the key planks of the CIP is a ward reconfiguration that has seen the trust close two wards, which comprise around 60 of its 520 beds (11.5 per cent of the total bed base), in a bid to save a projected £5.5m.