Troubled trust appoints new chair

Sharon Mays will take up her new role at Sheffield Health and Social Care Foundation Trust in October. It is one of the country’s smallest trusts, with a turnover of £132m and employing roughly 2,500 staff.

She will succeed interim chair Mike Potts when he completes his fixed term of office at the end of this month. 

A solicitor by profession, Ms Mays joins the trust after chairing Humber Teaching FT since 2014, where she oversaw the provider’s improved Care Quality Commission rating from “requires improvement” to “good”.  She has been succeeded there by former Labour MP and health minister Caroline Flint.

SHSCFT is currently rated “requires improvement” by the regulator, following an inspection last month, and is currently in NHS England’s “recovery support programme” which replaced the “special measures” scheme in July.

Ms Mays said she felt “honoured” following her appointment, adding: “Under Mike’s leadership, the trust made great strides in the improvement work, a huge achievement against the backdrop of all the challenges that coronavirus has brought over the past 18 months.

“I am ready to continue this improvement work, there is still a lot to do, and I am looking forward to getting started.”

Mr Potts said he was “proud” to have been part of the progress SHSCFT has made over the last year.

He added: “Sharon will bring a wealth of experience, knowledge and enthusiasm to the role of chair, which will be invaluable on the next stage of our improvement journey. I wish Sharon and all the teams at SHSCFT the very best for the future.”