HSJ’s top chief executives was compiled with the input of leading figures in and around the NHS
- Arun Chopra, interim chief executive, Care Quality Commission
- Saffron Cordery, former deputy chief executive, NHS Providers, policy and strategy adviser
- Matt Discombe, HSJ deputy bureau chief
- Daniel Elkeles, former chief executive of NHS Providers
- Henrietta Hughes, Patient Safety Commissioner
- Nick Hulme, former chief executive, East Suffolk and North Essex Foundation Trust
- James Illman, HSJ bureau chief
- Steve McManus, outgoing chief executive, Royal Berkshire Foundation Trust
- Habib Naqvi, chief executive, NHS Race and Health Observatory
- Elizabeth O’Mahony, interim director general, finance, Department of Health and Social Care
- Lee Outhwaite, past president of the Healthcare Financial Management Association, and chief finance officer, South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board
- Anna Parry, managing director, Association of Ambulance Chief Executives
- Gemma Peters, chief executive officer, Macmillan Cancer Support
- Sir Steve Powis, former chief medical officer, NHS England
- Nicola Ranger, RCN chief executive and general secretary
- Alastair McLellan, HSJ editor - chair
Criteria
The judging panel was asked to bear in mind the following criteria when judging chief executives:
- The performance of the chief executive over the last year. We look for chief executives who have steered their organisations through these difficult times, including supporting staff and ensuring patients get the best care possible, given the constraints trusts will have been facing. We also look at other aspects of leadership, including chief executives’ leadership style and behaviours, including their approach to mentoring and developing more junior staff, encouraging inclusive leadership, how they work with their board, both executives and non-executives, and their standing among their peers, and personal qualities.
- The performance of the organisation they lead, given the circumstances it is in. We will look at the results of the staff survey and any recent Care Quality Commission reports, while acknowledging that many organisations are struggling with the traditional metrics around waiting times.
- The wider contribution the chief executive has made. This might be through leading on important projects, either nationally or locally, or taking on additional roles such as chairing integrated care partnerships.
