Dr Nick Broughton starts as chief executive of Oxford Health today promising to further strengthen trust values so that staff feel valued, engaged and empowered.

He plans to spend the first few weeks getting to know the organisation, meeting teams and being visible throughout the trust, with a range of visits already planned, including tour of the award-winning and state-of-the-art Highfield Unit.

In one of his first acts as new CEO he is holding an hour long webinar for all staff  today with Trust Chair David Walker. Both will be answering questions.

Nick brings a wealth of experience to Oxford Health, having joined the Trust from Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust, where he lead the organisation from a CQC rating of ‘Requires Improvement’ in 2017 to ‘Good’ in January 2020.

Prior to that Nick was chief executive of Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

As a consultant psychiatrist for more than 20 years specialising in forensic psychiatry, he has held medical and clinical director roles, and a variety of other managerial positions, including as a director of Imperial College Healthcare Partners. He obtained his medical degree from Cambridge and completed his training at St. Thomas’ Hospital, London.

He said “I am absolutely delighted to be joining Oxford Health  and have no doubt that the trust has the potential to become an outstanding provider of care. My priority will be enabling us to achieve this together.

“I am passionate about research and partnership working, so am keen to build upon the strong links with academic institutions that Oxford Health has already established. I have also been impressed with the progress made through the Oxford Healthcare Improvement programme, as I believe Quality Improvement is key to driving lasting change that benefits both patients and staff.”

Former CEO Stuart Bell CBE retired on Friday, June 12, having led Oxford Health for more than seven years in an NHS career spanning 38 years. A special, socially distanced, farewell event took place at the Warneford on his last day. See here for more.