On the move 12 June

HFMA immediate past president Bill Gregory (pictured) is now the director of finance at Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership. He stepped down from his role as executive director of finance and deputy chief executive at Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust at the end of May. He joined the trust in 2015. Mr Gregory has been succeeded as the trust’s director of finance by Sam Proffitt. She was interim STP lead for the Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership, as well as being substantively director of finance for the system.

Rob Forster (pictured) has been appointed chief finance officer and deputy chief executive of Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The trust is a new merger made up of the former Aintree University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust. Previously, Mr Forster was director of finance and deputy chief executive at Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust, which has appointed Ged Murphy acting chief finance officer. Mr Murphy is a former director of finance and technical services at Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service.

Paul Brown has joined the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent clinical commissioning groups as chief finance officer. An experienced NHS accountant, who has also worked in other public services, Mr Brown joins the group of six CCGs from North West London clinical commissioning groups, where he was chief financial officer. Interim chief finance officer Neil Cook will work with Mr Brown until the end of this month to ensure a seamless handover.

Wendy Thompson (pictured) has been appointed director of finance and estates at the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust in Northern Ireland. She succeeds interim director of finance Paul Morgan. Ms Thompson is currently assistant director of finance at the Health and Social Care Board. She previously worked at the South Eastern trust for more than 10 years, and was also director of finance for the HSC Business Services Organisation for three years.

Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust chief finance officer Paul Scott has been appointed chief executive of Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust. He is due to take over from current chief executive Sally Morris when she retires later this year. Mr Scott, who has extensive experience at board level across the NHS, said: ‘I am leaving some great colleagues in CUHFT. However, I am genuinely thrilled to be joining EPUT as chief executive. Through talking to staff and colleagues outside the trust it is clear that EPUT is a great organisation with a critical mission to improve the health and wellbeing of people in Essex. Sally, and the EPUT team, have achieved a huge amount during the past three years and I am excited by the opportunities for EPUT to build on this.’

Andrew Bone (pictured) has been appointed director of finance at NHS Borders – his first executive director role. Previously, he was lead business partner at NHS Lothian, with responsibility for financial planning, forecasting and reporting. He has worked in NHS finance for more than 25 years, initially at NHS Dumfries and Galloway and then NHS Lothian. He succeeds Carol Gillie, who will be retiring this month.

Ian O’Connor is the new director of finance at Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust. An experienced finance leader, holding board level positions for the last 18 years, he was previously interim finance director at Medway NHS Foundation Trust. He succeeds interim David Stonehouse.

Richard Eley has been appointed interim finance director at Medway NHS Foundation Trust, succeeding Mr O’Connor in April. He has worked as an NHS finance director for almost 30 years.  

NHS Highland has appointed David Garden director of finance. He has worked for NHS Highland for the last 30 years, most recently as head of financial planning and interim finance director.

Aaron Gillott (pictured) has been appointed deputy director of finance at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust. He succeeds Scott Jarvis, who retired at the end of May. Mr Gillott joins the trust from Derby and Derbyshire Clinical Commissioning Group, where he was assistant chief finance officer.