GP takes over community trust as new chair

A GP has been named as the new chair of a community trust in the East of England.

Nicholas Small will replace Linda Sheridan as chair of Hertfordshire Community Trust. Dr Sheridan, a former regional deputy director for public health, is retiring after four years in the role. 

Dr Small joins from Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board, where he is on the board as a partner member for primary care.

He previously chaired the Herts Valleys Clinical Commissioning Group and has been a GP at the same practice in Hertfordshire for nearly three decades.

He will take over from Dr Sheridan later this month. The trust is led by former NHS England director Elliot-Howard Jones as chief executive. 

HCT has created a diverse “shadow board” to counteract the lack of ethnic diversity on its main board. 

Current chair Dr Sheridan also worked as a GP before moving into public health medicine. She said she was “immensely” proud to have been on the board of HCT for the last decade and its chair for the last four years. 

Dr Small said he was excited to be joining at a time when providing treatment for severe illness at home and support for children ”is more needed than ever”.