New Chief Operating Officer appointed

9 January 2018

A new Chief Operating Officer has been appointed to help run Shropshire’s two acute hospitals.

Nigel Lee is due to take up the role in March. He will replace Debbie Kadum, who retired from The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) in December last year.

Nigel began his career as a helicopter pilot in the Royal Air Force, in both Search and Rescue and Special Forces roles. He served in Northern Ireland, the Falkland Islands and Iraq. He has also worked in broader defence roles in procurement, strategic planning and in multi-national headquarters.

His experience in healthcare began as hospital director for the BUPA hospital on the Wirral, before Divisional Director roles at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and Aintree University Hospital.  He has had senior operational roles with the Cheshire and Merseyside Major Trauma Network, as well as with a range of service configuration developments in the Merseyside area.

Nigel joins SaTH, which runs the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford, from his role as Director of Secondary Care for the North Wales Health Board, where he was responsible for three hospital sites, Women’s Services and the Specialist Cancer Centre.

Nigel said: “I am really looking forward to working with everyone at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust.

“It is a challenging time for us all in the NHS, but I am keen to be part of building successful services at the hospital sites with all the teams at the Trust, as well as continuing to develop effective partnerships with the local communities, Clinical Commissioning Groups, Ambulance Services and Local Authorities, as well as other organisations.”

Simon Wright, Chief Executive, said: “We are delighted to welcome Nigel to the team at SaTH. Nigel brings with him a wealth of experience to a very demanding role. I am sure everyone will join me in wishing him well as he begins his career with us.”