Chair of Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust steps down

Dr Catriona McMahon has announced she is leaving The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) at the end of the month.

This comes as the Trust enters the next stage of its improvement journey, which Dr McMahon has been instrumental in achieving.

Dr McMahon was asked to take on the role of Chair in 2020, given her extensive clinical experience and strong commitment to governance and quality patient care. Under her guidance, the Trust has seen many improvements, including an improved Care Quality Commission (CQC) rating with the Trust now rated as ‘requires improvement’.

Confirming that she will not apply for the recently advertised Chair in Common post, across both Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust and SaTH, Dr McMahon said:

“I am proud of the progress the Trust has made and now feels the right time for me to hand over to another Chair who, with their fresh insights, can drive forward the next phase of the Trust’s improvement journey and support greater alignment with the Community Trust.

“The past few years have been amongst the hardest known in the NHS, with the COVID-19 pandemic, the restoration of elective recovery and increasing pressures on urgent and emergency care, and I am incredibly grateful for the commitment and compassion that our colleagues have continued to show to our patients throughout.

“Having supported the Ockenden Report Assurance Committee (ORAC) for many years, I am particularly proud of the many positive improvements the Trust has delivered in our maternity services since the publication of the first and final Independent Maternity Reviews, and of the ‘good’ rating recognised by the CQC earlier this month. There is still further work to do, and I know that our maternity teams will continue to work on delivering safe and compassionate care, ensuring that we listen to women and families at all stages, supported by our local MNVP (Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership) and local partners.”

The Trust has also received national approval of its Full Business Case (FBC) for the Hospitals Transformation Programme (HTP), which is the final stage of approval.

Dr McMahon adds: “I am leaving SaTH at the beginning of an exciting new era. There is more work to do on our improvement journey and I am confident that I am leaving the Trust with a strong, stable leadership team that is determined to deliver excellent care for our patients.”

Louise Barnett, Chief Executive of The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, said:

“I would like to thank Catriona for her dedication, commitment and above all compassion to our patients and colleagues in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin and mid Wales.

“Catriona’s enthusiasm and drive for quality improvement, putting patients at the heart of everything we do, has contributed to our improved CQC rating and a more stable organisation for the next Chair to take forward. We know we have further to go as we enter the next phase of our improvement journey and wish Catriona the very best for the future.”

Dr McMahon will step down as Chair at the end of June and Trevor Purt, Vice Chair will become the interim Chair whilst the recruitment for a Chair in Common across Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust and SaTH progresses.