Yorkshire trust appoints new chief

Jan Ditheridge will join Sheffield Health and Social Care Foundation Trust in March. She joins from Shropshire Community Health Trust, which she has led since 2013.

In a statement, SHSC said Ms Ditheridge had overseen a period of sustained improvement at Shropshire Community, resulting in it receiving a “good” Care Quality Commission rating this year.

SHSC is currently rated “requires improvement”. 

Ms Ditheridge has experience encompassing clinical, operational and leadership roles across health, social care and the private sector.

Clive Clarke will continue as interim chief executive until Ms Ditheridge joins SHSC, the trust confirmed.

Jayne Brown, chair of the board of directors at SHSC, said Ms Ditheridge was “committed to helping people in our city get the best possible care and driving up standards”.

“She is also committed to listening to the views of staff, service users and carers,” Ms Brown said.

Ms Ditheridge said of her appointment: “I’ll be sad to leave Shropcom, leaving behind many happy memories, but I’m so looking forward to joining SHSC.

“I am intending to move to Sheffield so will spend the next couple of months looking for somewhere to live as well as starting to spend time in the organisation getting to know it better.”

HSJ reported in July that long-standing SHSC chief executive Kevan Taylor was standing down in September.

Mr Taylor was appointed chief executive in 2008 after previously leading the trust’s predecessor.

In a letter to staff, Mr Taylor said the trust needs to “press on with strong leadership” and he did not want his decision to retire next year to “get in the way”.