Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust appoints new chairwoman

The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust (PAHT) has appointed a new board chairwoman – who will be juggling two roles for six months.

Hattie Llewelyn-Davies, who joins in September, will also continue in her current role as chair of Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust until March 2022, when she is due to step down at the end of her term in office.

At Harlow, she replaces Steve Clarke, who retired last month.

Lance McCarthy, chief executive of PAHT, which also runs Herts and Essex Hospital in Bishop's Stortford and St Margaret's Hospital in Epping, said: "I'm delighted Hattie will be joining us at such an exciting time as we continue to transform the way we provide care, work more closely with our health and social care partners and develop our plans for a new hospital for local people.

"Hattie brings a wealth of experience that will support our ambitious plans as we take PAHT forward and deliver our aim to be modern, integrated and outstanding."

The trust, established in April 1995, has 3,500 staff. It is responsible for 414 general and acute beds at PAH and provides services including a 24/7 emergency department, an intensive care unit, maternity unit and neonatal intensive care unit as well as outpatient and diagnostic services from its Stortford and Epping hospitals for more than 350,000 people.

Plans are being drawn up to build a brand new hospital to replace the outdated facilities at Hamstel Road in Harlow.

Hattie has extensive experience, having chaired Hertfordshire Partnership Foundation Trust (HPFT) for many years.

Before joining the NHS, she held several chief executive and senior management roles in the housing and homelessness sector and in 2004 was awarded an OBE for services to homeless people.

She said: "I'm really honoured to have been offered the role at PAHT and I'm looking forward to working with the PAHT team as we take the organisation forward, delivering high-quality care for patients and local people."

Shortly after she became chair of Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, she was in the media spotlight when the organisation apologised to those abused by Jimmy Savile at Stoke Mandeville hospital after a report revealed the TV and radio personality assaulted 63 people from 1968 to 1992, ranging in age from 8 to 40.