New role for Croydon’s lead surgeon
NHS England announced the appointment of Stella Vig, Consultant Surgeon and Croydon’s Clinical Director as the new national Medical Director for Secondary Care and Quality, alongside her existing role as National Clinical Director for Elective Care.
Stella has spent seven years in Croydon leading the Trust’s integrated cancer, surgery, and clinical support directorate and playing a pivotal role in the development of the Croydon Elective Centre - our hospital within a hospital’ that allowed us to continue planned care and surgery during the pandemic. She will continue to support estate and pathway transformation at Croydon Health Services.
In her new national role, Stella will be responsible for ensuring clinical effectiveness and quality governance across NHS England, ICSs and providers. She will lead the transformation of secondary care across the NHS in England; improving quality, services, safety and outcomes for patients and continuing to work towards better integrated healthcare.
She will also work alongside the National Medical Director and the National Chief Operating Officer to deliver shared priorities across Urgent and Emergency Care, Elective, Cancer, Mental Health, Community and Diagnostic recovery.
Speaking on her appointment, Stella said:
“I’m incredibly proud of everything that I and our teams have achieved in Croydon and am delighted that I will be continuing to work with them, whilst also taking on the opportunity to work with new national Medical Directors in Primary Care and Digital/Transformation to embed and transform pathways, benefitting patients and NHS staff working across the country.”
Steve Powis, Medical Director at NHS England said:
“I am delighted to welcome Stella into her new role as Medical Director for Secondary Care and Quality. Stella is an experienced secondary care clinician who, as well as her clinical knowledge, brings extensive leadership experience to the Medical and Transformation Directorates.
“Her knowledge and experience will be essential in helping the NHS to deliver the improvements required to transform secondary care services, outcomes and patient experience.”
Matthew Kershaw, Chief Executive at Croydon Health Services NHS Trust added:
“Throughout her time in Croydon, Stella has worked tirelessly to ensure we provide high quality, timely and joined up care for our patients, even during a global health crisis.
“I am delighted that she will be staying with us whilst also using her leadership, expertise and drive for clinical excellence to ensure patients in Croydon – and now up and down the country – can access the right care, at the right time, improving the health outcomes of thousands of NHS patients.”