8 March 2017
A new Director of Nursing and Quality has been appointed at the Trust which runs Shropshire’s two acute hospitals.
Deirdre Fowler
Deirdre Fowler has been appointed to the role at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, which runs the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and the Princess Royal Hospital, in Telford.
Deirdre, who is currently Director of Nursing, Midwifery and Quality at Hinchingbrooke Health Care NHS Trust will join SaTH on 1 May 2017.
She has a wealth of experience in the NHS following completion of her nurse training in Dublin in 1988 and subsequently as a midwife in Croydon, South London in 1994.
Deirdre said: “I’m excited to be joining SaTH as Director of Nursing and Quality.
“I’m really passionate about making improvements for patients, their families and hearing their stories. For me, our patients are the first and last point of all my decisions. I also want to grow the voice of nurses and midwives at the Trust.
“SaTH values are very much aligned to my own and I’m looking forward to joining the Trust and to meeting as many staff and patients as I can to hear their views.
“Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and mid Wales is a beautiful area and I look forward to finding out more about the region and exploring it further.”
Simon Wright, Chief Executive at SaTH, said: “This is a first class appointment and I’m delighted Deirdre is joining SaTH.
“Her experience, empathy for our patients and drive for improvement will play a big role on our journey to provide the safest and kindest care in the NHS.”
Deirdre replaces Sarah Bloomfield who recently left the Trust. Colin Ovington will be interim Director of Nursing and Quality until Deirdre joins. Colin will then remain with SaTH from May until August 2017 reporting into the Chief Executive to support the Trust’s quality improvement programme and Transforming Care work.
Deirdre has been Director of Nursing, Midwifery and Quality at Hinchingbrooke Health Care NHS Trust since May 2014.
She said: “I led the journey of improvement to take Hinchingbrooke out of special measures to a CQC rating of ‘Good’ and that is something I’m really proud of.”
Deirdre co-chairs the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) maternity and neonatal clinical working group and has a keen interest in system-wide collaboration and transformation.
She is a champion for patient experience, clinical leadership and quality improvement, as well as a firm supporter of the realisation of NHS constitutional values.
Deirdre registered as a nurse in Dublin in 1988 and subsequently as a midwife in 1994 at Croydon and Carshalton Faculty of Midwifery. She has predominantly worked in women’s healthcare in a variety of roles, including in community and acute services. In 2002 she joined the faculty of midwifery at the University of Nottingham as a lecturer before returning to the NHS as a matron in Lincolnshire in 2010.
She went on to become Head of Midwifery and General Manager for Women’s Services at Doncaster and Bassetlaw NHS Foundation Trust in 2011, then in January 2013 gained a place on the Trust Board as acting Director of Nursing.
Deirdre has been married to Brian for over 20 years and together they have two children, Sophie, 16, and Kieran, 13.
Outside of work she and her family enjoy being active, and all have black belts in Taekwondo and regularly competes in the martial art.