The chair of a health trust that runs north and West Cumbria’s acute hospitals will step down due to ill health.
Steven Morgan has been chair of North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust since February 2023. He will leave from November 1 following a period of illness.
Prior to the full impact of his health conditions being known, governors had approved an 18-month extension to his term at their meeting on September 10.
The trust, which runs Carlisle’s Cumberland Infirmary and the West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven, plus cottage hospitals, said Mr Morgan had strengthened relationships with partners locally, and in the wider region through NCIC’s membership of the Great North Healthcare alliance alongside the Northumberland. Newcastle and Gateshead NHS trusts.
Mr Morgan said: “I am terribly sad to leave. I have huge affection for the organisation – not least because of the tremendous care so many dedicated staff have provided to me through my own recent health problems.
“When I joined the trust we focused on stabilisation of our performance and developing our strategic thinking about how we provide healthcare in north Cumbria in the future.
“So many of ideas are now reflected in the Government’s Ten Year plan for the NHS – moving care out of hospital into the community, making greater use of digital technology and thinking about preventative healthcare.
“We now have an excellent new leadership team in place ready to take the trust to the next level.
“This requires energy and commitment which at the moment I am just not able to provide. With regret I’ve had to concede that I must continue my recovery in retirement.
“I know I leave the trust in safe hands and I will forever be proud to have been part of it.”
Interim chief executive Trudie Davies said: “Steven is a larger than life figure who never fails to make a positive impression on all he meets.
“He is a great thinker, and not surprisingly given his military background, a man of action who likes to get things done.
“He has been unfailingly supportive since I joined the trust and he will leave a lasting legacy, particularly in respect of his inspirational drive to rethink how healthcare can be delivered in the 21st century. We will miss him.”
Lead governor Jacqueline Nicol said: “We were aware that Steven had been unwell, but this has come as a shock to governors because it was so clear to us how much Steven was absolutely committed to the trust.
“We only recently endorsed an extension to his term and we were looking forward to working with him on the next chapter.
“I am sure I speak on behalf of all governors when I say that we are so sorry to see Steven go, but we understand his reasons and we wish him well for the future.”
Deputy chair Teresa Griffiths will take on the chair role on an interim basis while a selection process for the permanent role is carried out.
