QEH King's Lynn appoints new experienced Chief Nurse
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn NHS Foundation Trust has appointed Alice Webster as its permanent Chief Nurse and Jo Humphries as its permanent Director of People.
These appointments mean the Trust now has a fully substantive Executive Team – bringing yet more experience and stability to the QEH Executive Team and Board of Directors.
Alice brings to QEH over 20 years’ experience in nursing and leadership.
She is currently Chief Nurse at the Isle of Wight NHS Trust working across acute, community, mental health and ambulance services.
Prior to this she was Director of Nursing/Deputy Regional Chief Nurse at NHS Improvement (South Region) and before that Executive Director of Nursing and Quality at East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust. Alice qualified as a Registered General Nurse and Midwife and subsequently Health Visitor in the early 1990’s and has worked in both secondary and primary care in the UK and Australia.
Jo brings to QEH extensive experience spanning three decades in the private sector where she has a track record of developing and implementing successful people strategies and leading culture transformation and leadership performance improvement programmes.
Caroline Shaw CBE, Chief Executive at QEH, said: “Alice and Jo are arriving at QEH during a really important time in our journey of improvement. Following a positive December 2020 CQC inspection, we are now focusing on ‘Going for Good’ and improving our organisational culture. Both of these appointments bring more experience and stability to our Executive Team and Board, and a real focus on ensuring our patients and their families consistently receive the best possible care and our staff the best experience of working at QEH.”
Commenting on her appointment, Alice said: “I am very much looking forward to joining the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and working with teams and individuals both within and external to the Trust. Building upon work already in place whilst taking forward care and practice development will be key to my role. I am also excited at making Norfolk a base for my family home”.
And Jo said: “I am absolutely delighted to be taking up this exciting new role and look forward to supporting each and every member of Team QEH on their ‘Going for Good’ journey. I bring a wide range of skills and experience from outside the sector which, coupled with Cath’s extensive NHS HR experience, will enable us to transform your HR and People services such that all staff love coming to work and are inspired to develop lifelong career paths within QEH.”
Alice will be taking up her new post later this year (with the exact date to be confirmed). She will succeed Dr April Brown, Interim Chief Nurse, who has provided exceptional leadership as the Trust has responded to COVID-19, with a relentless focus on further improving the experience of our patients and their families and delivering safe and compassionate care.
Jo will join QEH early March 2021.
