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Trust seals 'teaching hospital' status with non-executive director appointment from UCL Medical School

Posted: 14 June 2022

Picture of Ann Griffin

West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has appointed Professor Ann Griffin to its board as a non-executive director with special responsibility for the trust’s teaching hospital status.

Ann is a deputy director of University College London Medical School with which the trust has a close relationship, training its medical students for over 15 years. She is both a Doctor of Medicine, on a GP career break, and a Doctor of Education. As a clinical professor in medical education research, she brings significant experience and expertise in healthcare education, research and consultancy, as both an academic and a healthcare practitioner.

Ann will become a member of the trust's people, education and research committee and will bring her expertise to provide oversight to the board on strategy, leadership, finance, and governance, with particular emphasis on championing excellence in education.

She said: "I'm looking forward to helping the trust maximise the benefit from its newly acquired teaching hospital status. I am passionate about education, training and research that impacts on patient care and am committed to addressing health inequalities and championing excellence in patient care."

Trust chairman Phil Townsend said: "It is an exciting time for education at West Herts, exemplified by our recent recognition as a teaching hospital. Ann brings extensive strategic leadership in healthcare education and research and a profound understanding of what makes for good education in undergraduate and postgraduate settings which will be of enormous benefit to our education, teaching, training and research leads."

Ann’s appointment begins on 1 July 2022.

Non-executive directors hold executive directors to account, by bringing independent, external perspectives to the table and ensuring the board acts in the best interests of patients and the public.

  1. For more information, please contact the communications team on: 01923 436280 or email: westherts.communications@nhs.net. For out of hours media enquiries please call the Watford General Hospital switchboard on 01923 244366 and ask for the on call communications manager.
  2. West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves people from across Hertfordshire, north London and further afield. It operates from three hospitals; Watford General, St Albans City and Hemel Hempstead. The trust has a catchment area of over 500,000 people and is one of the largest employers locally, with around 5,000 staff and volunteers.
  3. For more information about our hospitals, visit www.westhertshospitals.nhs.uk. You can also join our followers on Twitter (twitter.com/westhertsNHS) and find us on Facebook (facebook.com/westhertsNHS).