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Hospital trust makes chief permanent after two years

Published on: 13 Sep 2021

Ian Abbs became interim chief at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation Trust in August 2019 when Amanda Pritchard was seconded to the role of chief operating officer at NHS England.

The trust has announced that the substantive role was vacated when Ms Pritchard was made NHSE’s new chief executive in July this year, following the departure of Lord (Simon) Stevens.

GSTT said Professor Abbs was appointed to the role following a formal recruitment process.

Professor Abbs joined the trust as a consultant renal physician and honorary senior lecturer at King’s College, London in 1994. He was appointed as its medical director in January 2011 before becoming chief medical officer in January 2017.

He said: “I am extremely proud and honoured to have the opportunity to continue to lead this incredible organisation.

“I have been part of the GSTT family throughout my career, having trained as a junior doctor at St Thomas’ [hospital] before going on to hold a number of clinical and management roles across the trust.”

He added the “collective commitment” of staff, as well as their “dedication” to patients, was a “constant source of inspiration”.

GSTT chair Sir Hugh Taylor said: “Professor Abbs has led the trust with distinction and extraordinary compassion since taking on the role of chief executive following the secondment of Amanda Pritchard to NHSE in August 2019.

“His ambitious vision for the future, absolute commitment to a values-driven and inclusive organisation, and his evident empathy for staff at all levels have helped to ensure the very best for our patients and the communities we serve.”