North Bristol NHS Trust and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust announce Joint Chief Executive

North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT) and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) have today announced the appointment of Maria Kane as their Joint Chief Executive. This is a significant step forward in the move to form a Hospital Group between the two organisations and follows the announcement of their strategic intent to form a Group in December 2023, the publication of their Joint Clinical Strategy (JCS) in March 2024 and the appointment of Ingrid Barker as Joint Chair last month.

Maria is one of the longest serving and most experienced Chief Executives in the NHS, and in 2019 was awarded an OBE for services to healthcare leadership. Her first CEO role was at Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust (London) in 2007, before moving to North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust in 2017 and culminating in her current role as CEO at North Bristol NHS Trust in 2021.

She is a Visiting Professor at the University of the West of England and Chair of the Bristol Health Partners Academic Health Science Centre, as well as having served as a Trustee for several charities including Open Mind, Umbrella Mental Health and Young Minds.

Throughout her career Maria has developed a reputation for strategic development and delivery, enabling patient-centred care, organisational development and innovative partnership working across communities.

Ingrid Barker, Joint Chair said:

“Upon taking up the role of Joint Chair, I made the appointment of Joint Chief Executive my absolute priority. Ensuring we have the right person, with the right values, skills and experience is critical to the development of our future Hospital Group.

“Maria is absolutely that person, as she brings with her the experience, knowledge and skill set to take both Trusts forward on their shared journey – not least because she has been integral to the Acute Provider Collaborative over the past two years.

“It was especially important to me that the Joint Chief Executive is someone who truly understands the benefits of partnership working and who had an established track record of delivering large scale organisational change in a collaborative and patient focused way.”

Maria Kane, incoming Joint Chief Executive said:

“Together NBT and UHBW provide care to over 1.5 million people, employ 28,000 utterly brilliant staff and are responsible for NHS budgets totalling over £2 billion. As such, I am both delighted and humbled to have been appointed as their Joint Chief Executive at such an exciting time for two such fantastic organisations.

“Implementing the Joint Clinical Strategy and moving forward on our shared journey towards a Hospital Group offers the potential to deliver so much for all of the people, populations and communities we serve.

“I am passionate that it is only through collaboration and partnership that we can truly deliver on the NHS’s core mission: outstanding care for every patient, based on need and not means. Both NBT and UHBW exemplify this mission thanks to their unique strengths, diverse, vibrant cultures and incredibly talented people.

“By working in even closer partnership, and taking advantage of their geographical proximity, they can build on what they have achieved to date and become even better together.”

NHS England Regional Director for the South West, Elizabeth O’Mahony, said:

“Our hospitals in Bristol and Weston and their expert staff play a crucial role in caring for people across the entire South West region.

“I welcome the appointment of Maria in this joint CEO role, bringing her wide experience, drive and determination at this crucial time in the NHS.

“This is a big step forward in the move to unlock even greater collaboration between services across both Trusts to improve results for patients.”

Shane Devlin, Chief Executive of NHS BNSSG Integrated Care Board said:

“The opportunities that the Group Model brings in terms of collaboration between our two Acute Trusts is exciting and will strengthen our health and care system for the people of Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.”

“I am delighted that Maria has been appointed as Joint Chief Executive to lead this endeavour, her experience and commitment to partnership working is a force to be reckoned with and I am looking forward to working with her.”