Mental health chief moves to major acute trust

Gillian Fairfield had led Northumbria, Tyne and Wear, one of England’s largest mental health and learning disability trusts, since 2008.

Pennine Acute Hospitals serves a population of around 820,000 in the north east of Greater Manchester, and is the largest non-teaching trust in the country.

In a statement Dr Fairfield said the new job was “a fantastic opportunity to lead the organisation through a period of substantial development and transformation as it continues its journey to foundation trust status”.

Pennine’s current chief executive, John Saxby, announced he was retiring in October.

Dr Fairfield has already taken two trusts to foundation status – her current employer and Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber Foundation Trust.

In 2012-13 Northumbria, Tyne and Wear achieved the highest ratings from Monitor for finance and governance.