Merger lead appointed CEO of acute trust

Angie Smithson, chief operating officer and deputy chief executive for Aintree University Hospital FT, will join Chesterfield in September this year. 

Ms Smithson is also integration director for Aintree and has led on the trust’s merger with Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospital Trust, which is due to complete in October.

She will take over from Simon Morritt. Mr Morritt, who has been at the trust since 2016, is due to take up the role of chief executive for York Teaching Hospitals.

Commenting on her appointment, Ms Smithson said: “I’m excited at the prospect of taking on the scale of this opportunity and really look forward to working with everyone.

“I am passionate about ensuring the delivery of exceptional care for patients and I have also been part of engaging and leading staff through challenging changes that have helped to ensure sustainable services, at the same time as realising enhanced patient experience and a host of other improvements.”

Helen Phillips, chair of Chesterfield Royal Hospital, said: “It’s a thrilling time for a new chief executive to join us and I am certain that Angie will direct the trust in our continued ambition to achieve ‘outstanding’ both for the care we give to all our patients and for the workplace we provide to all our staff.

“I believe that Angie’s track record of realising large scale change in health services is an asset.”