Meet the Transition Management Team
In October 2010 NHS Leicester City and NHS Leicestershire County and Rutland joined forces to form a ‘cluster', in line with the requirements of the Department of Health. Although we share one Cluster Board and our staff work across the city and county boundaries, we have not legally merged, and retain our separate statutory duties. Together we serve a population of more than a million people. Cluster formation is an interim stage in the reform of the NHS, involving ongoing transfer of most local commissioning functions to GP-led clinical commissioning groups, in line with the Health and Social Care Bill, now before Parliament and the House of Lords.
As part of these reforms our former Executive Teams have been restructured to become a single Transition Management Team. It is made up of the following executive directors, headed by a chief executive, who is in charge of both NHS Leicester City and NHS Leicestershire County and Rutland.
The Transition Management Team can be contacted at:
NHS Leicestershire County and Rutland
Fosse House
6 Smith Way
Grove Park
Enderby
Leicestershire
LE19 1SX
Telephone: 0116 295 7500
Fax: 0116 295 7599
Catherine Griffiths
Chief executive
The post: The chief executive is accountable to the chair and non-executive members of the respective boards of the two organisations for ensuring that decisions are implemented, both organisations work effectively and in line with government policy and public service values.
The person: Catherine was chief executive at South Warwickshire Primary Care Trust before joining NHS Leicestershire County and Rutland when it was formed in September 2006. Her previous career included being chief executive of South Warwickshire combined care trust, director of commissioning at Birmingham Health Authority, and chief executive at Birmingham Women's Hospital Until. She was chief executive of NHS Leicestershire County and Rutland since its inception, becoming chief executive for both Leicester city's and the counties' NHS trusts in mid-October 2010.
Liz Rowbotham
Director of quality, communications and engagement
Chief operating officer
The directorate: Supporting the organisation's ongoing assessment of its own quality and performance. Safeguarding vulnerable adults and children. Contract quality in healthcare providers. Staff and external communications, such as annual reports, media relations, healthy living campaigns, websites, public engagement and consultations. As operating officer she also provides special support for the chief executive.
The director: Liz Rowbotham qualified as a physiotherapist in 1979 and worked for ten years in Sheffield at the Northern General Hospital specialising in respiratory intensive care and cardiac rehabilitation. During the last five years of this time she was also the lead for a postgraduate course for physiotherapists in respiratory care as part of her clinical role. Liz moved to Leicester in 1989 and has undertaken a number of roles at Leicester General Hospital within physiotherapy and in general management before the merger of the three acute hospitals. She was appointed as clinical director and general manager of clinical support services at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (UHL) in January 2000 and was also the most senior Allied Health professional within the trust. Liz joined NHS Leicestershire County and Rutland in September 2008 and became director of quality for both the city's and counties' NHS trusts in October 2010.
Prof Aly Rashid
Medical director
The directorate: Primary care performance and governance. GP appraisal and revalidation. Liaison between primary care and secondary care providers, such as hospitals.
The director: Professor Aly Rashid qualified from the University of Manchester (1982), completed his postgraduate doctorate from there in 1995 and was appointed professor of primary healthcare at De Montfort University, Leicester in 1998. He has held a number of local and national posts at the same time as being an active clinician in primary care. Aly chaired the education network of the Royal College of General Practitioners (London) from 1993 to 1996 and was the director of the college's leadership programme from 2002 to 2006. Aly has also held the post of associate postgraduate dean in Leicester and more recently was associate director at the National Clinical Assessment Service in London ( a national body that addresses performance issues in relation to doctors and dentists) before becoming medical director at NHS Leicestershire County and Rutland. He is now medical director of both NHS Leicester City and NHS Leicestershire County and Rutland.
Nigel Skea
Director of organisational development and workforce
The directorate: Human resources and organisational development. Management cost reduction programme. Employment rights and relations. Equal opportunities. Changeover arrangements to clinical commissioning group control.
The director: Nigel began working at Leicestershire County and Rutland primary care trust in March 2008. This is Nigel's first interim assignment in the public sector. Nigel brings with him substantial experience in human resources and organisational change gained mainly in the brewing industry. In 2007, Nigel spent nine months working with Randstad, the world's third largest recruitment and human resources services company. Nigel is a chartered fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and has a masters degree in law and employment relations from the University of Leicester.
Sue Bishop
Director of finance
The directorate: Financial management and control, including financial aspects of contracts with healthcare providers, such as hospitals and mental health services. Overseeing financial plans for the area's health economy. Driving the agenda for greater quality, innovation, productivity and prevention (QIPP).
The director: Sue Bishop was appointed to the post of NHS Leicester City's director of finance and delivery in October 2006. Before that, Sue worked in a similar role for Eastern Leicester primary care trust, one of the two NHS bodies that were merged to create NHS Leicester City. She has worked in a variety of finance roles across NHS Leicester, spending time at both the University Hospitals of Leicester and Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trusts. Sue is a chartered accountant who worked in private sector industry before joining the NHS in 1993. She became finance director of NHS Leicestershire County and Rutland in August 2010, and her post now also covers NHS Leiceser City's financial functions under PCT clustering arrangements.
Peter Marks
Director of public health
The directorate: Assessing population health needs; tackling health inequalities; improving the health of the population; prevention of disease; protecting the public from infections and other health hazards; assessing effectiveness of healthcare interventions.
The Director: Peter graduated in medicine from Bristol University. He has previously worked in general practice in Derbyshire, as director of public health in Derby and as Associate Professor in Population Health at the University of Nottingham, with an interest in public health teaching and infectious disease epidemiology research. He has held the joint post of director of public health for NHS Leicestershire and Rutland, Leicestershire County Council and Rutland County Council since April 2009.
Deb Watson
Director of public health (joint post with Leicester City Council)
The directorate: Gathering detailed data on the state of health and lifestyles of local people and the main risks to good health. Advising on other factors, such as education, housing, the environment and employment matters, which impact upon health. Developing strategies and campaigns to improve local health. Supporting health service and public sector responses to emergencies and pandemics, such as new flu strains.
The Director: Holding a masters degree in Public Health, Deb held a number of posts in the statutory and voluntary sectors prior to her appointment to Leicester City PCT. With over 20 years' experience within the NHS, Deb has broad experience of general management, commissioning and public health. In 2001, Deb became Assistant Director for the Leicester City Health Action Zone, and later held the post of Project Director for Leicester's Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT) initiative.
Vikki Taylor
Director of commissioning development
The directorate
Involves co-ordinating the transformation of commissioning functions under NHS reforms, including supporting the roles of the clinical commissioning groups. Also includes primary care contracting, information management and computer technology, contract negotiation, performance, and service redesign.
The director
Vikki Taylor has worked in the NHS for over 12 years, and joined NHS Leicester City from Derby Hospitals Foundation Trust, where she was Associate Director for the Medical Services Division. She spent many years working within the Corporate Service Planning team at Derby with a role in patient access, service redesign and performance management. She has also worked as Director of Strategy and Market Development with NHS Leicester City.
Judith Hill
Director of Nursing
The role:
Involves ensuring safeguarding requirements are met across the sector including those for children, young people and vulnerable adults. Judith also contributes to clinical leadership and provides advice within the Cluster to ensure appropriate multi-disciplinary input to clinical quality and safety and to the Cluster board. Her role also means providing clinical leadership and professional nursing and midwifery advice to the Cluster board, promoting excellence in professional nursing practice, and working with CCGs to develop their expertise on nursing and midwifery issues, while contributing to the delivery of the Cluster's plans to ensure financial sustainability, improvements to health and quality of service provision.
The director:
Judith is an experienced NHS Executive Director and was a former Nurse Director of Neath Port Talbot Local Health Board. She has a wealth of experience within the primary and community care sector as well as more recently working within one of the largest integrated Health Boards in Wales. Judith is also a qualified District Nurse with many years' experience of primary care, community care and with the latter part of her career spent within the commissioning environment.