Prominent trust chief leaves for overseas role

One of the UK’s most prominent ambulance leaders is leaving his role for a job abroad.

Daren Mochrie, chief executive of North West Ambulance Service Trust and chair of the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, will leave both roles in late November.

AACE said in a statement he was leaving for a “high-profile senior ambulance role abroad” but did not identify what the new role was. A trust statement on Mr Mochrie’s departure also did not disclose what his new role would be.

NWAS said deputy chief executive Salman Desai would lead the trust until a new permanent chief executive was appointed, while AACE said it would begin the process of recruiting a new chair.

Mr Mochrie said: “I joined the NHS at 16 years old and have given over 36 years of service, 33 of which have been in the ambulance sector, but never in my wildest dreams did I think I would leave the UK NHS as chief executive officer of North West Ambulance Service and chair of AACE.”

He added it had been a privilege to lead both organisations and he would leave with mixed emotions.

He said: “It feels like the right time to go and explore new opportunities for myself and my family and to leave NWAS and AACE in the best possible shape.”

His time at AACE has been marked by massive increases in ambulance handover delays — where the organisation has consistently called for action to ensure crews can get back on the road more quickly — and the implementation of the “Right Care, Right Person” model for mental health patients.

This has led to AACE warning that the police were withdrawing from attending some mental health calls before the NHS had built capacity to take on these cases.

He also oversaw the fallout from the Manchester Arena Inquiry. The inquiry was critical of NWAS’s actions at the time of the bombing in 2017 – before Mr Mochrie joined NWAS – and has far reaching implications for ambulance services, especially around the availability of hazardous area response teams.

Before joining NWAS, he was chief executive of South East Coast Ambulance Service Foundation Trust for two years and, before that, was director of operations for the Scottish Ambulance Service where he led on ambulance provision for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

The experienced leader has also spoken out over the sexual harassment of some ambulance staff and students and committed the organisation to improving sexual safety and reducing misogyny in the service.

AACE managing director Anna Parry said Mr Mochrie had been an “inspirational leader” who had become chair during “a particularly challenging time for ambulance services with the backdrop of the covid-19 pandemic and the high-profile performance pressures that continue to be exacerbated by hospital handover delays”.

She added: “In addition, he had to lead the sector through widespread NHS industrial action, including within ambulance services.”

NWAS chair Peter White said: “Daren has demonstrated strong leadership and unwavering commitment over the last five years. His strategic vision and dedication to fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation have left a lasting mark on our organisation and the wider ambulance sector.”