Trust hires ICB leader as new CEO

Ellen Rule will take over at Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care Trust from May. She is currently deputy chief executive and director of strategy and transformation at Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board. 

The trust said she was hired after a “full and thorough nationally advertised selection process involving local partners and NHS England”.

Ms Rule will take the reins from Robert Mackie, who was appointed as interim CEO in February last year, after an initial national recruitment process failed to secure a new substantive leader.

The trust’s long-serving CEO Sarah Dugan retired in April 2024 after 12 years in the role.

In January last year, the CQC announced it was downgrading HWHCT’s overall and leadership ratings from “good” to “requires improvement”. A report suggested bosses at the trust had used racist language and created a closed culture.

Ms Rule said she feels “privileged” to be made CEO, “particularly at this critical time as [HWHCT] move forward on the next stage of their improvement journey”.

“When I join the trust in May, I’ll be focusing on making sure that we do everything we can to look after our patients and our staff to the highest standards against this challenging backdrop,” she added.

Ms Rule has worked in the NHS since 2003 in a variety of senior positions in commissioning and provider organisations spanning service redesign, assurance, contracting, operational management and strategic planning. 

In Gloucestershire, she was focused on collaborating with the ICB’s partners, including the voluntary and community sector.

Prior to working at Gloucestershire ICB, Ms Rule worked for NHS England in Bristol as head of assurance and delivery.