Important message from Richard Samuda, Chairman

January 26, 2021

Dear Colleagues

I am writing to provide you with an update on leadership arrangements at the Trust that are due to take effect from Monday 8 February.

As you aware, our Chief Executive Toby Lewis continues to be away from work and we wish him well for his recovery. Dr David Carruthers, our Medical Director has served as acting Chief Executive in Toby’s absence.

I am now pleased to confirm that Richard Beeken has agreed to act as Chief Executive on a temporary basis in Toby’s absence to allow David to return to his substantive Medical Director role, which he has welcomed.

Richard, who many of you know, is currently Chief Executive of Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust where he has been for the past three years and will take on this role as a temporary secondment until Toby is able to fully resume his duties. Richard has had several senior roles in Black Country Trusts including Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust. He has previously been Chief Executive at Wye Valley NHS Trust where he led the Trust out of special measures, as he has also done successfully at Walsall, along with leading the creation and implementation of the Walsall Together place-based Integrated Care Partnership with a number of partners in Walsall. He is committed to working collaboratively with partners at place and across Birmingham and the Black Country STP and we are very much looking forward to his leadership support at this time.

I would like to thank David Carruthers for his considerable contribution and service whilst stepping into the Chief Executive role until this point and in particular leading the Trust through an unprecedented surge in activity during the recent phases of the Pandemic. I hope you will join me in welcoming Richard to our organisation.

Richard Samuda, Chairman