New CEO appointed at northern acute trust

He will replace Martin Barkley, who has served as chief executive of the Mid Yorkshire Trust for five years and is retiring this summer.

Mr Richards, who has more than 30 years’ experience in the health sector, took on his first chief executive post in August 2006 at Wirral Hospitals Trust, where he oversaw the trust’s move to “foundation” status.

He left this role in 2011 after 200 of his senior doctors passed a motion of no confidence in his leadership due to decisions including a proposed merger of vascular surgery.

Mr Richards was recruited as the chief executive of London’s Newham Trust later in the year. He then oversaw the merger of Newham with two other NHS organisations to form Barts Health Trust in London while serving as the new organisation’s chief operating officer until 2012.

He then spent three and a half years in the Australian healthcare system before becoming chief executive for Cardiff and Vale UHB in 2017, on a salary of between £220,000 and £225,000.

Speaking about his move, Mr Richards said “the last year has also brought the importance of family into focus and the need to be closer to home in the North East.”

He added: “To be given the opportunity to lead the trust in its continuing journey towards providing an excellent patient experience each and every time is a privilege. And I’m really looking forward to working with what is clearly a committed and dedicated workforce.”

Keith Ramsay, chair of Mid Yorkshire Hospitals Trust, said: ”As we focus our attention on the recovery of services for our patients and support for our staff, Len’s considerable experience and expertise will no doubt prove invaluable. I look forward to working alongside him, building on the great work already in place, and taking forward our ambitious plans for the future.”

Mr Barkley will leave the Mid Yorkshire Hospitals Trust after almost 50 years’ service to the NHS.

The trust was rated as “requires improvement” by the Care Quality Commission in 2018. The CQC said the trust’s board and leaders “were not fully sighted on some of the risks in the organisation,” but added it found “significant improvements in the culture of the organisation”.