Non-executive director appointments at Guy’s and St Thomas’

Two new Non-Executive Directors have been appointed to join the Board of Directors of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust.

Dame Pauline Philip DBE and Professor Deirdre Kelly CBE have been appointed with effect from 1 July 2023.

Pauline has extensive experience of working in Board-level roles across the NHS, including as Chief Executive at Luton and Dunstable NHS Foundation Trust. From 2002 to 2010, she was the Executive Director responsible for Patient Safety at the World Health Organisation.

Since 2016, she has been NHS England’s National Director for Emergency and Elective Care working closely with Government, the service, and a wide range of stakeholders.

Pauline also has non-executive experience - she is presently Chair of Beaumont Hospital in Dublin and Chair of Lifebox, a global non-profit organisation that she co-founded with the aim of making surgery and anaesthesia safer worldwide.

Deirdre has considerable non-executive experience on the boards of a number of healthcare bodies including the Care Quality Commission, the General Medical Council, NHS Blood and Transplant, the Health Research Authority and the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust.

She is also a Professor of Paediatric Hepatology at the University of Birmingham and Consultant Paediatric Hepatologist at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Prof Kelly set up the Paediatric Liver Unit at Birmingham Women’s and Children's Hospital which provides a national and international service for children with liver failure and undergoing liver and small bowel transplantation.

These appointments were approved by the Council of Governors at their meeting on Wednesday 19 April and are for an initial 4 year term.

Trust Chairman, Charles Alexander, said: “I am delighted that Pauline and Deirdre will be joining our Board at the start of July.

“Pauline has a strong track record in delivering strategic and operational performance improvements, and her operational experience will help support our plans to improve performance.

“Deirdre has substantial experience as an executive and non-executive director and has extensive knowledge of the NHS. Her paediatric expertise will strengthen the Trust’s ongoing commitment to paediatric care, medicine and research.

”I would also like to extend my thanks and appreciation to the 4 Non-Executive Directors who will be standing down at the end of their terms of office. They are Sheila Shribman, Steve Weiner, John Pelly and Reza Razavi, who represents King’s College London. Each has given many years of dedicated service, and their collective wisdom and experience has greatly benefitted both the Trust and our patients.”

Dame Pauline Philip said: “It is a great privilege to be appointed to the Board of Guy’s and St Thomas’. I look forward to playing an active part in the delivery of the Trust’s ambitious agenda to continue the transformation of care provided to all patients.”

Professor Deirdre Kelly said: “I am delighted to be joining the Board of Guy’s and St Thomas’ and am much looking forward to having the opportunity to work more closely with patient care at this critical time for the NHS.”

The governors also approved the appointment of Simon Friend as Non-Executive Director for a further 4 year term, to 31 July 2027. Prior to the merger with Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in February 2021, Simon was appointed as a Non-Executive Director of the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust Board of Directors on 1 August 2017. He has chaired the Board’s Finance, Commercial and Investment Committee since it was established in July 2021.