Trust Executive lands new role as Chief Strategy Officer
Dr Neil Goulbourne appointed as Chief Strategy, Partnerships, and Transformation Officer at nearby Trust
As if further evidence was needed that Croydon grows some of the best talent in the NHS, today we announce that Executive Director, Dr Neil Goulbourne, has been appointed to a new role at Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust (LGT).
Neil has been our Executive Director of Strategy, Planning and Performance, in addition to his role as Chief of Staff for the past three years. During this time, he has changed what good governance looks like at our Trust. He has also helped pave the way for greater collaboration in Croydon to give more coordinated care for people in our borough.
As a trained GP and junior doctor, Neil’s experience and insight has been invaluable. His close attention to detail has also helped us join committees together and strengthen our oversight of quality, finance, people and place to reduce duplication and speed-up decision making.
His role is also place-based, so I know that Neil’s departure will be felt by our partners including primary care and the voluntary sector in the borough. Working with community groups, we are striving to make the most of our collective expertise in Croydon, for Croydon, by combining our strengths and resources to help people live and stay well for longer, and deliver best value for money for the public purse. We are also bringing investment into the borough.
Last year, Neil led our pitch to ensure the One Croydon was chosen as one of only six health partnerships in the country to benefit from up to £500,000 to tackle health inequalities. Developed as part of The Healthy Communities Together programme with the King's Fund and National Lottery, this is helping to connect people with the services around them to improve health and wellbeing in their neighbourhood. This includes Local Community Partnership (LCPs) in every corner of the borough to bring greater ownership, a collective voice and greater representative of the local area. The programme has also introduced three community hubs offing voluntary and statutory services to support people stay well and healthy in the community.
As our executive lead for EDI, Neil has also helped to take forward a programme of work to tackle discrimination and foster a more open and inclusive workplace for all. This is another step in a much longer journey to create a more compassionate and supportive culture, but it has quickened our pace. With Neil’s leadership, all of our Staff Networks are now fully active and this was on show for all to see at our Staff Networks Day earlier this week. Together our networks allow our colleagues to connect, share their experiences and ideas to increase belonging in our organisation regardless of age, gender, race, belief or sexuality. Recent WRES data collected for NHS England, also shows that the belief that our Trust is providing career progression or opportunities has increased by 6% amongst staff from Black, Asian and other ethnic groups. There is, of course, much more that we must – and will –do to always listen to and support all of our staff.
These achievements will help Neil in his new role as role of Chief Strategy, Partnerships, and Transformation Officer when he joins LGT in August. This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who gives his all in his work, and I would like to thank Neil for his constant dedication, counsel and hardwork over the past few years.
We will now begin the process to appoint to cover the breadth of Neil’s role both within the Trust and the NHS in Croydon. I will share more details with you about this as soon as possible.