Trust group names nursing director as CEO

An East Midlands trust group has appointed a director of nursing as its first substantive CEO.

Karen Dunderdale said she was “so proud” to become CEO of United Lincolnshire Hospitals and Lincolnshire Community Health Services trusts.

She said on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Lots of exciting times ahead for colleagues in the way we deliver care.”

The incoming leader is currently the group’s deputy CEO and has been director of nursing at United Lincolnshire Hospitals since 2020.

Before that Professor Dunderdale held board-level roles at Walsall Healthcare Trust and Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Foundation Trust, as well as working as a senior nurse adviser at NHS England.

Group chair-designate Elaine Baylis, who is currently chair of both trusts, said: “We are delighted to announce that Professor Karen Dunderdale has been appointed as group CEO… This appointment is a significant milestone in the establishment of the group, and will enable us to further progress work on coming together as a group across the two organisations.”

The two Lincolnshire providers last year announced a move to a “group model” following an external review by former health authority chief Mike Farrar.

The trusts said their goal was to enable as much integration as possible without having to go through a full merger.

They are also working on a programme to drive savings in corporate services and back office functions.

Both trusts are currently headed by Andrew Morgan, who is stepping down from full-time work in June.

Mr Morgan has been CEO of United Lincolnshire Hospitals since 2019 and steered the trust out of special measures in 2022. Last year Mr Morgan also took on the CEO role at the community trust on an interim basis ahead of the formal move to a group model.

Earlier this year, it was reported that Mr Morgan had pushed back his retirement until the end of June to allow time for the new CEO to be appointed. The trust said recruitment had opened later than originally planned.