Announcement regarding the UHS chief executive Paula Head

I am writing to inform you that Paula Head, the chief executive of UHS, is leaving the Trust.

Paula has responded to the national need for experienced leaders in confronting Covid-19. She is supporting the NHSI/E national testing director on the deployment of rapid testing, point of care testing and near patient testing programmes. She will be moving to this role immediately.

This has led her to consider other national opportunities within and associated with the NHS and she has agreed to work with the Kings Fund, the highly-respected independent charitable organisation working to improve healthcare. She will move to the Kings Fund as soon as she has completed her work with NHSE/I Test and Trace and will act as a senior fellow on leadership and national policy.

Paula joined the Trust in 2018 and she has stewarded the Trust through some challenging periods, including our response to COVID. The Board joins the staff of UHS in thanking Paula for all she has done. We wish her all the best for the future.

David French will assume the role of interim chief executive. The Trust will now be working to secure a high calibre permanent appointment.

Paula said: “It is a wrench to leave my CEO role at the moment but I feel it is important to respond to and support the national effort in a way that uses my expertise and experience. I can’t think of a better way to do this than through working with the Kings Fund. This also gives me the chance to better support close vulnerable family members who live in the North of England.”

Peter Hollins, chair UHS