Ambulance UK December 2019

IN PERSON
NWAS News
New Non-Executive Director
appointed to NWAS
North West Ambulance Service (NWAS)
has confirmed the appointment of
Professor Rod Thomson as Associate Non-
Executive Director (Clinical) for the trust.
Professor Thomson retired from his role as
Director of Public Health for Shropshire in
April 2019 after 40 years of service to the NHS
and local government. He began his career
as a psychiatric nurse working in Glasgow
and later qualified as a health visitor.
Rod’s health visiting role included working
with the homeless, substance misusers and
victims of abuse. Moving to the North West
of England in 1990, he took on a locality
manager role in Cheshire and was also the
clinical lead for child protection. He was
later seconded to Merseyside and then
North West Regional Health Authority to
lead programmes of work regarding child
protection and public health.
Between 1996 and 2010 Rod held a range
of senior public health roles in Liverpool and
Sefton. During this time, he was instrumental
in developing the North West Public Health
Observatory at Liverpool John Moores
University. In 2010 he was appointed as
Director of Public Health for Shropshire.
Professor Thomson is also a member of the
European Commission’s Independent Panel
of Health Experts and was made Fellow of
the Royal College of Nursing in recognition
of his “exceptional contribution to the art
and science of nursing” in 2002. He is also a
Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health and is a
visiting professor at John Moores, Chester and
Staffordshire Universities.
Outside of his professional roles, Rod is a
qualified England hockey umpire and technical
official with British Triathlon. He was a games
maker at the 2012 Olympics and has held
volunteering roles at the 2014 Commonwealth
Games, as well as World and European Sports
Championships including the recent Cricket
World Cup.
Chairman for North West Ambulance Service,
Peter White said: “Rod has had a varied
and successful career and we very pleased
to welcome him to the trust. His clinical
experience will bring valuable expertise to our
board of directors.”
Professor Thomson has been appointed from
1 September 2019 until 31 August 2021.
SECAMB News
Trust announces appointment
of new Executive Director of
HR
South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS
Foundation Trust (SECAmb) is pleased
to announce the appointment of a new
Executive Director of Human Resources
and Organisational Development.
Following an extensive recruitment process,
Ali Mohammed will join the Trust at the end of
January 2020, filling the role currently being
filled on an interim basis by Paul Renshaw.
Since 2018, Ali has led on the transformation
and delivery of the national NHS Graduate
Management Programme, securing
significant additional investment and
increasing the number of internal candidates
being invited onto the scheme.
SECAmb’s Chief Executive, Philip Astle
said: “I am delighted to welcome Ali to this
important position in our Executive Team
and I know that we will benefit greatly from
his significant knowledge and staff-focused
approach.
“I am sure that his extensive HR experience,
gained in a wide variety of roles and
organisations, will help us to deliver on our
improvement plans and ensure we make
SECAmb a great place to work for our staff
and volunteers.”
Ali said: “I am delighted to be joining
SECAmb as Executive Director of HR and
Organisation Development. It will mean a
return for me to the frontline of the NHS,
having spent some 18 months, by the time
I join the Trust, leading an expansion of the
national NHS Graduate Management Training
Scheme. I have spent practically my whole
career working in NHS trusts and am highly
motivated by a desire to make things better
for staff and thereby better for patients.”
SECAmb Chair David Astley echoed the views
held by the Trust’s Chief Executive and said:
“I am pleased to welcome Ali who will be a
crucial member of our Board.
“Ali has an important portfolio of work to
deliver and with his proven track-record and
extensive NHS HR experience, I am sure he
will help the Trust deliver on its aims for the
future.”
AMBULANCE UK - DECEMBER
Ali is already established as a successful
NHS HR leader, including winning the HSJ HR
Director of the Year award in 2006.
Having begun his NHS career in a junior HR
position at Medway NHS Trust, Ali went on to
hold various senior HR positions at a number
of large trusts including Medway, Brighton and
Sussex University Hospital Trust, Barts Health
NHS Trust and Great Ormond Street Hospital
NHS Foundation Trust.
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For further recruitment vacancies visit: www.ambulanceukonline.com