Welcome from Isobel Down, Senior Independent Director

Thank you for your interest inleading the Board of the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust (RCHT).

At RCHT, our vision is Outstanding Care for One + All. In seeking to deliver this patient safety is our first priority, providing safe, high-quality care to our patients which meets their individual needs and expectations, and values thiers and their relative’s time.

We are looking for an outstanding leader to work with the Board in helping us reach and exceed the objectives set out in our ambitious 2023 to 2032 strategy: Outstanding Care for One + All.

Our strategy focuses on three objectives: Supported and Valued People, Safe High Quality Care and Journey of Improvement. We want to change, transform, and modernise, refocusing our efforts on delivering the right services to deliver more care close to home and help make our strategic goals a success.

As the main provider of acute and specialist care services for the people of Cornwall, we recognise the importance of ensuring that our operations run as smoothly and effectively as possible. With the development of Integrated Care Systems (ICS) we have had to work in new and different ways, in order to transform our services and help make our strategic goals a success.

We continue on an exciting and challenging agenda ahead, one that is focused on delivering exceptional services to a diverse anddispersed population. We know that the ambitions we have for the Trust can only be realised if we work with our partners across theregion to shape and develop the healthcare services of the future for our communities. We have made huge strides in the last two years,reflected in positive feedback from our most recent staff survey, and being the most fifth most culturally improved trust in the country.

We have amazing people and teams across the Trust and out wider health and care partners, and a shared vision of partnership working to significantly improve health and care in our region.

We opened our new Cornwall Cancer Centre in 2023, and over the coming years we will progress our £300m new Women’s and Children’s Hospital – the biggest ever capital investment for the region; we will deliver an elective surgery centre at Bodmin, significantly invest in our hospitals at West Cornwall and Hayle to support more care close to home. Our vision for a University Teaching Hospital in Cornwall has been agreed in principle with the University of Exeter. This will have a significant longer term impact on recruitment and retention and attract further research capabilities and money into our system.

This is an exceptional opportunity for a leader who shares our values. I have the privilege to be a Non-Executive Director and the Senior Independent Director of our amazing Trust, and I very much look forward to meeting candidates who have the vision, passion and values to support and lead our on-going transformation journey.

We look forward to receiving your application.

Isobel Down, Senior Independent Director