Statement from the Trust chairman, Paul von der Heyde
Dear colleague,
Following a period of illness from which he is continuing to recover, Paul Mears and the Board have agreed that he will step down from his post as Chief Executive on 14 March 2018.
Throughout his time as Chief Executive, Paul has been committed to making Yeovil Hospital the best it could be. Under his leadership we have continually performed beyond expectations for our size, and become known as an organisation in which innovation and talent amongst staff is recognised and nurtured for the benefit of patients. He has been an exemplar in our iCARE principles.
He has been pivotal in the development and implementation of new models of care here in south Somerset, the positive effects of which are felt by people every day, both within and beyond the hospital.
From my recent conversations with Paul he has passed on his thanks for your support and hard work during his time at Yeovil Hospital. He feels great affection for this organisation and is proud to have been Chief Executive over the past five and a half years. He recognises the extraordinary challenges with which the Health Service in general and YDH in particular have been faced and has nothing but admiration for the way all those at the hospital have responded. Paul is keen that we continue to collaborate positively with all our colleagues across Somerset from Primary, Acute, Community and Social care in the firm belief that this will deliver the benefits for our local communities.
On behalf of the entire Board, I would like to thank Paul for everything he has done for our hospital, our staff and our patients. We wish him the very best for a future. I am sure his considerable talents and experience will be of great benefit to whatever his next role may be.
Jonathan Higman will continue in his current role to ensure the hospital has the appropriate leadership for the foreseeable future.
In closing, my thanks and best wishes go to all the staff at YDH for their exceptional efforts and dedication to our purpose which we shall continue to fulfil with determination.
Paul von der Heyde
Chairman
Statement from Jonathan Higman, Acting Chief Executive
Dear Colleagues,
Following the Chairman’s previous correspondence regarding Paul Mears I wanted to say how proud I feel to have been asked to continue in my role as Chief Executive here at YDH. It has been a real privilege to lead the organisation over the last few months and I am pleased to be able to continue to do this. The Board has recently been reviewing our Trust strategy and we will be talking to you about this in more detail over the coming weeks but I am keen that we continue to put the provision of high quality care at the centre of all we do. To support this we have designed a new vision for our organisation; “To care for you as if you are one of our family”. That feels to me to sum up our ethos at YDH and places iCARE at the heart of what we do.
We need to build on Paul’s legacy of innovation as we move into a new period in which we will be working more closely with our partners across Somerset in order to deliver our collective ambition for more integrated services. As I know you are all aware we are facing some significant financial and workforce challenges and it is only by working more closely with others that we will address these and ensure that our services remain sustainable into the future.
I am really fortunate to be part of a strong Executive team who are committed to this vision and to do the best for YDH within our local Health and Care system. As part of this I am really pleased that Shelagh Meldrum has agreed to continue in her role as Deputy Chief Executive.
I hope that I have your support too and look forward to working with each of you to progress our future aspirations for our hospital.
Kind regards,
Jonathan
Jonathan Higman
Acting Chief Executive
ENDS
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