A new Chair has been selected for Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust.
Graham Russell was selected by the Trust’s Council of Governors following a competitive process. He will take his place as Chair following the departure of current Chair, Ingrid Barker, who finishes her term of office at the end of April.
Lead Governor, Chris Witham, said: “We knew that finding a suitable replacement for Ingrid would be a very tough job but we are delighted to have selected Graham, who is our current Vice Chair and has been a Non-Executive Director with the Trust since its formation in 2019. He was previously a Non-Executive Director with Gloucestershire Care Services NHS Trust from 2016 to 2019.
“Graham not only has extensive NHS experience, he also has great experience in working with our system partners and in voluntary and community sector organisations. He has a particular interest in partnership working and in supporting large scale change to improve the lives of people in disadvantaged communities. Graham will be a very committed and values-led Chair and we are delighted to have appointed him to the role.”
Graham Russell said: “Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust is an amazing organisation with fantastic colleagues delivering excellent services. However, we also face challenges of ever increasing demand and sustaining our services, and these offer opportunities for transformation in how we better meet the needs of our communities. I very much welcome the opportunity to lead the organisation to make the most of these opportunities and look forward to working with colleagues across the Trust and our partners both in the NHS and the wider system in the years ahead.”
Dame Gill Morgan, Chair of Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board, said: “As a member of the interview panel I was clear that Graham has a huge range of experience, knowledge and wisdom to bring to the role as Chair. He has a real commitment and passion for delivering high quality care as well as tackling inequalities and working to improve the lives of the most vulnerable people within our communities. As Vice Chair Graham has already worked closely with the Integrated Care Board, and I look forward to working with him in his new role.”
Graham, who lives in the Stroud area, is former Chair of Elim Housing Association and Chair of Second Step, a mental health charity.
Prior to chairing Elim Housing and Second Step, he spent 10 years as an expert advisor to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), four years as executive director at the Commission for Rural Communities and a decade in a number of senior roles at Business in the Community, one of The Prince’s Charities. Graham is also currently Chair of Trustees at BrunelCare – a Bristol based charity providing high quality housing, care and support for older people in the South West.
