Trust in special measures appoints new chair

Vaughan Thomas, a former PwC partner, has replaced Eve Richardson as chair of Isle of Wight Trust.

The £160m turnover trust, rated inadequate by the Care Quality Commission in April, provides acute, community, mental health and ambulance services to a patient population of 140,000.

Mr Thomas joins Maggie Oldham at the top of the organisation, after Ms Oldham took over as interim chief executive two weeks after the CQC report was published.

The CQC said the trust’s leadership did not have the necessary capability to move the provider forward and there was evidence of “insufficient challenge” of the executive team by the board.

Mr Thomas became a non-executive director at the trust in September last year, following stints with PwC and estates and investment firm CBRE.

Since the CQC report was published, Mr Thomas has chaired the trust’s integrated improvement framework, which aims to address the negative findings in the report.

Mr Thomas said: “Our aim is to get to a good rating as soon as we can.”

Ms Oldham added: “Vaughan is already very involved in our improvement programme and familiar with the work we need to do to ensure that services are sustainable for the future and deliver the best possible service for islanders within the resources we have available.”

Ms Richardson announced her departure in July. She left the trust to become chair of the island’s stakeholder reference group, which is made up of local organisations and individuals with an interest in the local health and care system.

The trust is forecasting a deficit of £18.8m this year, despite NHS Improvement setting it a control total deficit of £366,000.