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The trust board

Board overview

The trust is managed overall by a trust board consisting of non-executive directors and executive directors, chaired by Phil Townsend.

The executive team

The executive team is responsible for the day-to-day management of the trust in accordance with the trust's policy and national, statutory or other relevant guidance. The executive directors are full-time employees of the trust. It is a requirement that the board has a chief executive, chief financial officer, chief nurse, chief medical officer, and one other, who are eligible to vote. It may also appoint additional board members to cover other functions, but they will not be voting members of the board.

The Non-Executive Directors

The non-executive directors are drawn from the local community and are appointed through a recruitment process managed by NHS Improvement following advertisements in the local press. Generally, non-executive directors are selected with a view to representing the cultural, ethnic and business composition of the local community. They are expected to bring the community's perspective to the management of the trust and to provide an independent overview of the work of the trust's executive functions.

Chairman and Non-Executive Directors

Phil Townsend, Chairman

Phil Townsend, ChairmanAppointed chairman in February 2020, Phil is the longest serving board member and was vice chair for five years and a non-executive director since December 2011.

Phil comes from a commercial background, having spent over 30 years in the complex telecommunications industry, focused on IT and business transformation.

He chairs the board meetings and board development. Phil attends remuneration and finance and performance committees as a standing member.


Harvey Griffths, Non-Executive Director

Harvey Griffths, Non-Executive DirectorHarvey Griffiths was appointed to the board in January 2022. He is the chief executive of Horizon, an institutional investment firm in social, affordable and market rent housing.

Harvey brings over 25 years' public sector investment, management and operations experience to the trust and has many years' experience of successful start-ups, new business creation, origination and acquisitions.

He is a non-executive director at a specialist commercial energy and utility procurement company, Inteb Managed Services Ltd, and has served as a governor and chair of finance at Watford Girls Grammar School since 2015.


Edwin Josephs, Non-Executive Director

Edwin Jospehs, Non-Executive DirectorEdwin joined the board as a non-executive director in November 2020. He qualified as a chartered management accountant in 1984 and has extensive knowledge of corporate governance, risk and assurance and has held a number of senior financial positions.

Edwin has also held senior roles in the public and charity sectors, including at the National Consumer Council and the Legal Services Board and was previously a non-executive board member for Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) UK.

Edwin is no stranger to the NHS, having worked for a hospital trust in Buckinghamshire earlier in his career in a variety of roles, including finance and auditing and senior leadership. He has lived in Abbots Langley for 23 years.


Jonathan Rennison, Vice Chair

Jonathan Rennison, Non-Executive DirectorJonathan Rennison joined the board in 2014 and has over 20 years’ experience of working in the education, voluntary and public sectors. He currently runs an organisation that provides coaching for private businesses, as well as public sector and voluntary organisations and his expertise lies in helping leadership teams to manage change and development.

Jonathan chairs the charity committee and is a member of the remuneration and quality committees and the nominated reserve for the people, education and research committee.


Natalie Edwards, Non-Executive Director

Photo of Natalie Edwards, Associate Non-Executive Director

Natalie was appointed non-executive director in 2019. She has 20 years' extensive HR experience working in both strategic and operational roles.

She has a strong track record of delivering business focused people strategies and transformation change projects.

Natalie chairs the trust's people, education and research committee, is a member of the remuneration committee, and is the nominated reserve for the audit committee.


Heather Moulder, Non-Executive Director

Photo of Heather Moulder, Non-Executive Director

Heather joined the Board in August 2023 and is a trained nurse, midwife and health visitor; working locally for a number of years before having an extensive period in London working with diverse and socially deprived populations. Heather is an independent Interim Order panel Chair for the Nursing and Midwifery Counsel.

From January 2024, Heather chairs the Quality and Safety Committee and is also the non-executive lead for Freedom to Speak Up.

Heather has over 20 years' NHS Executive Board experience in both provider and commissioning organisations, including Deputy Chief Executive for St Albans and Harpenden and Hertsmere Primary Care Trusts and NHS England Director of Nursing and Quality for Hertfordshire and South Midlands.

Heather held the position of Clinical Commissioning Group Clinical Chair for one of the first Integrated Care Systems in the country. Heather established her own consultancy firm in 2015 providing executive coaching and independent consultancy support for health, social care and charity clients. Heather until recently was a Charity Trustee with a lead for safeguarding.


Helen Davis, Associate Non-Executive Director

Photo of Helen Davis, Associate Non-Executive DirectorHelen was appointed as an Associate Non-Executive Director in 2020. She has over 30 years’ experience of the NHS working in both operational delivery and in a strategic advisory capacity.

Helen has a background in all stages of the NHS estates and capital investment processes from strategic planning, through to business case approval, procurement and into construction and operation.

She was previously UK Head of Health for an international advisory company and was the private sector Director on two NHS/private Strategic Estates Partnerships.

In addition, Helen is a local Justice of the Peace.


Professor Ann Griffin, Teaching Non-Executive Director

Photo of Professor Ann Griffin, Teaching Non-Executive DirectorProfessor Ann Griffin joined the board in July 2022 with special responsibility for the trust’s teaching hospital status. She is a deputy director of University College London Medical School and 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 is a member of the trust's people, education and research committee and provides oversight to the board on strategy, leadership, finance, and governance, with particular emphasis on championing excellence in education..


Chief Executive and Executive Directors

Matthew Coats, Chief Executive Officer

Matthew Coats, Chief ExecutiveMatthew Coats joined as chief executive officer in July 2022 after three decades covering a range of senior roles in the NHS and the Civil Service.

Matthew has led departments and implemented national change programmes in the Cabinet Office, the Ministry of Justice, the Home Office and the Department of Health. He has managed large teams and equally large budgets. Prior to that, he was deputy chief executive at a multi-site hospital trust.

Matthew lives in west Hertfordshire and was motivated to apply for the chief executive role because it is his local hospital trust and because he is motivated by the ethos of the NHS.


Michael van der Watt, Chief Medical Officer

Michael Van der Watt, Medical DirectorMichael joined the trust in 2000 as a consultant cardiologist, becoming divisional director of medicine in 2012, and was then appointed as the trust's chief medical officer in April 2013.

He initially qualified in Cape Town, South Africa, and specialised in internal medicine at Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town. Michael immigrated to the UK in 1995 to specialise in cardiology, and has developed his particular interests in interventional cardiology, echocardiography, and pacemaker implantation.

His responsibilities include providing strong management and leadership to improve patient experience, and maintaining the trust's commitment to safe and efficient patient care.


Rodney Pindai, Acting Chief Financial Officer

Rodney Pindai, Acting Chief Financial OfficerProfile to follow


Kelly McGovern, Chief Nurse

Kelly McGovern, Chief NurseKelly McGovern joined West Herts as chief nurse in July 2023. Previously, Kelly was deputy chief nurse and director of nursing of Broomfield site for Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust (MSE) – one of the largest acute trusts in the country with 15,000 staff.

In addition to her trust-wide role, Kelly was the director of nursing for Broomfield Hospital and also urgent and emergency care clinical director.

A local resident, Kelly qualified as a nurse in 2005 and has gained a breadth of clinical leadership experience and held professional nurse leadership positions as well as more operational roles. She has worked at The Royal Marsden, East and North Herts NHS Trust and latterly for Mid and South Essex Trust.


Mary Bhatti, Chief Operating Officer

Mary Bhatti,Acting Chief Operating OfficerMary is a cardiology nurse by background and has worked in West Herts since 2002. Having set up cath lab and cardiac MRI services at Watford, Mary spent six years in Divisional Manager roles for both Medicine division and Women and Children's. Mary has been the Trust’s Chief Operating Officer since July 2023.

Before moving to West Herts, Mary worked as an Emergency Department and Cardiology Senior Nurse at Royal Cornwall Hospital, Gloucester Royal Hospital and West Essex Health Authority.


Andrew McMenemy, Chief People Officer

Andrew McMenemy, Chief People OfficerAppointed in February 2021, having previously been the deputy chief people officer, Andrew has extensive experience in the health service with a career spanning over 24 years during which time he has worked on four trust boards in an executive role.

He is a graduate of law and human resource management at University in Scotland and the US. In recent years, Andrew has also graduated from the Nye Bevan Programme facilitated by the NHS Leadership Academy.

Andrew is passionate about developing inclusion, well-being and staff development in the NHS. This is demonstrated in his role supporting the people, education and research committee at the trust.


Paul Bannister, Chief Information Officer

Paul Bannister, Interim Chief Information Officer

Paul was appointed chief information officer in 2019. Paul is a qualified accountant with 15 years' NHS experience and brings extensive experience in commissioning, financial and acute contract management to his current role.

He has held previous roles at North East London Commissioning Support Unit (NELCSU) as director of contracting and analytics and as chief operating officer, building the largest and most successful commissioning support unit in England.


Alex White, Chief Redevelopment Officer

Alex White, chief redevelopment officer

Alex joined West Herts as chief redevelopment officer in April 2023 and has over 20 years’ experience leading on major projects in the health sector.

This includes working on the Cambridge Children’s Hospital (a new regional children’s hospital for the East of England), where he was project director.

Other projects in Alex’s career include a new wing at Guy’s Hospital in London, the national proton beam therapy programme as well as other schemes such as the pathology joint venture between UCLH, the Royal Free and The Doctors Laboratory.


Toby Hyde, Chief Strategy and Collaboration Officer

Toby Hyde, chief strategy and collaboration officer

Toby joined West Herts in April 2023 from NHS England where he was national deputy director of strategy.

Toby has a wealth of experience gained as deputy director of transformation and programme director for integrated care at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, and previously worked at Hammersmith and Fulham CCG as associate director of strategy and primary care.

He is also a graduate of the NHS management training scheme and the Nye Bevan programme for executive leaders at the NHS Leadership Academy.


Divisional Directors

Dr Andrew Barlow, Divisional Director for Medicine

Dr Andrew Barlow, Divisional Director for Women's and Children's Services

Andrew has been in his current role since 2017, and also works as a consultant respiratory physician (having done so since 2005).

He holds clinical, financial and operational responsibility for the medicine division and has been key in the development and implementation of the ‘medical take’ pilot to improve patient flow. This collaboration with the division of Emergency Medicine has brought forward speciality review of patients admitted as an emergency in a more integrated approach with Emergency Medicine. This has resulted in reduced ED waiting times and a reduction in the inpatient bed base, thus ensuring that the right patients are seen in the right place at the right time by the right team.

Previously he has been the clinical lead for respiratory medicine, the STP chair for lung cancer, clinical director for medicine and clinical director for cancer services.


William Forson, Divisional Director Women’s and Children’s services

Photo of William ForsonWilliam Forson is a consultant obstetrician gynaecologist with over 20 years’ experience in obstetrics and gynaecology and has worked for several healthcare organisations of various sizes across the UK.

He has been principal and lead investigator for several research projects in HPV and cervical disease. William is currently running a self-sampling pilot for cervical screening for the Scottish Government.

Involved in setting standards for gynaecology services in low resource countries, William has a diverse background and is trained in emergency obstetric skills, antenatal and postnatal skills.

He is a member of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Appointments Advisory Group and the Global Health Division.


Dr Rachel Hoey, Divisional Director for Emergency Medicine

Photo of Dr Rachel Hoey, Divisional Director for Emergency MedicineRachel has been Divisional Director of Emergency Medicine since 2017 and a consultant in the Emergency Department at the Trust since 2005.

As Divisional Director she is responsible for providing safe and effective urgent and emergency services. This includes developing Same Day Emergency Care pathways.

As a member of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine Service Design and Configuration Committee she is actively involved in the national development of the care patients receive in emergency departments.


Mr Drostan Cheetham, Divisional Director for Surgery, Anaesthetics and Cancer

Photo of Mr Drostan Cheetham, Divisional Director for Surgery, Anaesthetics and CancerProfile to follow


Martin Keble, Divisional Director for Clinical Support Services

Photo of Martin Keble, Divisional Director for Clinical Support ServicesProfile to follow