Trust seeks three MDs on £150k to lead hospitals

Mid and South Essex Foundation Trust is hiring for leadership posts for Basildon, Broomfield and Southend Hospitals. All are advertised at £150,000, depending on experience.

The job advert says the MDs will be responsible for management of their respective hospitals, and report to the trust CEO.

The trust said interim MDs had been in place since a merger brought the three hospitals together in 2020.

However, the roles are only now being filed substantively following the finalisation of a review of the large trust’s leadership structure.

The move comes with the trust, which is facing significant financial challenge, cutting 600 whole-time equivalent posts this year. The trust said this needed to be viewed in the context that it had added 2,000 posts in recent years.

Trust CEO Matthew Hopkins said: “Our managing director roles are essential for the leadership and smooth running of our hospitals – ensuring we are providing the best possible care for our patients.

“These are not new roles; they were already substantive positions that we now need to fill with permanent rather than interim staff.”

Fiona Ryan is currently managing director of Basildon on secondment. The trust said Dena Marshall holds the interim position for Southend and Sarah Tedford for Broomfield.

The trust has also hired a joint strategy and transformation director with local mental health and community provider Essex Partnership University Trust.

Zephan Trent, who has been at EPUT since 2022, moved to a shared position from this September.

Both trusts are embarking on a united electronic patient record which would be the first of its kind across local acute, community and mental health sectors. It is due to go live in 2026-27.