New NHS treatment centre hospital directors commit to put patients first

Company news

Dec 18, 2017

Two new hospital directors appointed by Care UK are bringing established management expertise and a reputation for excellent patient care to three major NHS treatment centres.

Peter Harris, who joins Care UK as hospital director of Southampton NHS Treatment Centre, and Rob Thomas, the new hospital director at Emersons Green NHS Treatment Centre in Bristol, and Devizes NHS Treatment Centre in Wiltshire, both bring reputations for management excellence and commitment to the highest standards of patient care.

Andy Lunt, managing director for Secondary Care at Care UK, said: “We are delighted to announce these two appointments to these key roles. Peter and Rob both embody a commitment to excellence in patient experience and clinical outcomes, and bring with them the knowledge and expertise to build on these centres’ already remarkable reputations for high quality care.

“We know there are NHS patients who want to exercise their right to choose where and when they can have treatment. These are exciting and challenging times in secondary care, and patients can have confidence in our hospital directors’ commitment to giving them the best possible experience and outcomes.”

Peter, who has 25 years’ experience at a senior level in NHS and private healthcare management across London and the South East, is committed to supporting colleagues to achieve clinical excellence and ensuring that the highest standards of patient care are met.

He said: “Southampton NHS Treatment Centre is a great facility in a vibrant city. For almost a decade the team has worked to build up a service that is not only recognised as good by our patients but that is also rated as good by Care Quality Commission inspectors. We want to further develop the support we give to NHS colleagues in the region and make our skilled team accessible to more patients in the city and beyond.”

Peter, who gained an MBA from Heriot-Watt University, comes to Care UK from private healthcare provider BMI where, as a regional director, he provided strategic leadership of acute general hospitals across the south region of BMI Healthcare, following a period in the same role in the north region. He will now be working with his teams to review the range of clinical services offered at the centre, based in the Royal South Hants Hospital.

In the South West, Rob Thomas brings a strong track record of more than 20 years in public and private healthcare management and a strong public service ethic to the Emersons Green and Devizes NHS Treatment Centres as their new hospital director. He holds an MBA from Keele University and a PGCE from University of South Wales.

A former listening volunteer for the Samaritans, Rob’s professional career includes recent experience as owner and director of Emergency Medical Training Ltd., as well as previous roles in directorial and management positions at BMI Healthcare, Circle Healthcare, NHS Wales and the Armed Forces Hospitals Programme in Saudi Arabia.

He said: “Emersons Green and Devizes NHS Treatment Centres are excellent hospitals, staffed by skilled, dedicated teams with excellent patient experience at the heart of everything they do. I look forward to working closely with my new colleagues and the local NHS community to ensure patients continue to receive very timely access to care.”