THE COUNTY’s former fire chief has been unveiled as the new chairman of Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust.
Mark Yates will take up his position on April 1, succeeding Chris Burdon. He will stand down from his current role as non-executive director/vice chairman at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust to take up this new position.
Mark, who lives near Malvern, spent more than 32 years in the fire and rescue service, including his final six years as Chief Fire Officer of Herefordshire and Worcestershire Fire and Rescue Service.
He has been involved in local healthcare following his retirement from the service in 2016, including chairing the local Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP) prior to becoming a Board member at the Acute Trust. The STP brought together all local health and care organisations to develop and improve services across Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
During Mr Burdon’s decade as chairman, the Trust has been recognised as a national leader in a number of clinical areas, including dementia care, and as a Digital Exemplar Trust. Some of its services are also rated Outstanding by the independent regulator, the CQC – the highest rating possible – including its Adult Mental Health Rehabilitation service and the Children and Young
People’s Mental Health team which are ranked among the best in the country.
“I would firstly like to pay tribute to Chris Burdon who, in his role as chairman, has helped lead the Health and Care Trust with such distinction for the last 10 years. The Trust has had an excellent track record over that time and I am really looking forward to working with the team to continue to develop and improve the services it provides,” Mr Yates said.
“I have a good knowledge of our local healthcare system and of the challenges we face, but I also understand the communities we serve and I am really excited to get to know the teams across
Herefordshire and Worcestershire so we can support them to continue doing the vital work they do.”
Sarah Dugan, chief executive at Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust, said: “He has extensive knowledge of our local communities and of the challenges and opportunities we face.
“Over the next few years we will be building more formally on the excellent relationships developed between all local healthcare organisations and Mark’s experience and understanding of our local system and services will be key in supporting this work.
“I would also like to pay tribute to Chris who has provided such strong and stable leadership for the last 10 years and there is no doubt the services we provide to local people have been greatly enhanced as a result of his Chairmanship.
“Alongside Mark we will be relentless in our drive to build on the legacy Chris leaves behind and I know everyone at the Trust will join me in thanking him for the huge contribution he has made to our local NHS.”
Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust is the main provider of mental health and learning disability services across both counties. It also leads on community service provision in Worcestershire including Children and Young Peoples’ services, Sexual Health, Community Dentistry, Community Neighbourhood teams and Community hospitals in Bromsgrove, Evesham, Malvern, Pershore, Tenbury, and Wyre Forest.
