Welcome to LUHFT LUHFT has been through a number of changes, and now the Board is committed to bringing stability to our leadership team so that we can get the fundamentals right for our patients and staff as we build our future together. We've now welcomed our new Chief Nurse and new Medical Director.
New Chief Nurse back in Liverpool Our new Chief Nurse, David Melia, has returned to his home city and joined #TeamLUHFT with a commitment to delivering outstanding patient-centred care, and supporting the Trust with the improvement of the wider local healthcare system. David joined us from Mid Yorkshire Hospitals where he was Director of Nursing and Quality, since 2015. Originally from Liverpool, David is both a Registered General Nurse and Registered Nurse for People with Learning Disabilities. His main clinical specialIty is neurology and neurosurgery and he has previously held Director of Nursing roles at The Walton Centre NHS FT and Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS FT. David said: “I’m really honoured to be working at LUHFT as Chief Nurse and to be working in Liverpool again. I’ve only been here a couple of weeks but I’ve had a chance to get out onto the wards and meet nursing colleagues who are passionate about delivering great patient care. “I want our patients and local communities to have confidence in the quality of care provided in their hospitals, and for our staff to have a real sense of pride when they come to work. “There is an amazing opportunity in coming together to create a single organisation, which will play a critical role in the development and improvement of the wider local healthcare system.”
Medical Director’s wealth of experience In June, Dr Jim Gardner joined #TeamLUHFT as our new Medical Director, bringing a wealth and breadth of experience to the role. Previously the Medical Director of Blackpool Teaching Hospitals since 2020, in a career of over 30 years Jim has undertaken senior leadership roles across primary and secondary care in England and Australia, the private sector, charitable sector and 10 years as a GP Partner in Cumbria. Jim is committed to developing and supporting great medical leadership and practice across the Trust and supporting our future collaborative partnership working with system partners. “I’ve felt very at home since joining LUHFT and everyone has been very welcoming. That’s a great feeling to
have when joining a Trust and it is encouraging for us all to be working together for the benefit of our patients and the care we deliver. “Part of my role is to help the whole medical team to work together in delivering the very best care we can for our patients through constantly learning and encouraging innovation in our working practices. “I’ve been spending as much time as possible across our sites meeting with and listening to our clinical teams who have fantastic ideas for how we can improve and develop our services, equally to understand how we can address any issues and barriers they face. I am keen to hear from colleagues so if you have ideas that as Medical Director you think I should be aware of to help improve our organisation and our journey towards delivering great care, then please get in touch." LUHFT Life | 3
