Gateshead health leader Yvonne Ormston MBE has been included in an annual list of the NHS’s top chief executives, published by HSJ, the journal for the healthcare sector.
Yvonne, who is chief executive of Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust, has been named as one of the top 50 chief executives in the NHS for the fifth year running.
Yvonne says: “I’m humbled to be included on this list alongside some of the most inspirational NHS leaders that I’ve had the honour of collaborating with and learning from – this includes both Dame Jackie Daniel from Newcastle Hospitals, and Sir James Mackey from Northumbria Healthcare. Congratulations to them both.
“The success of our Trust has been built through teamwork and the fantastic commitment and support of all our staff. So, thank you to each and every one of them.”
Alison Marshall, chair of Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Yvonne is an inspirational leader and we’re so proud that she has been included on the top 50 list again. She has worked tirelessly to support our staff during the pandemic and to ensure that our patients receive the best possible care, whilst also playing a significant role across the local and national health and care system.”
As well as exhibiting strong leadership in Gateshead, Yvonne is also the deputy chair of Health and Care Women’s Leaders Network, a Guiding group member for the LGBT Network, as well as ICS (Integrated Care System) Lead for Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and in particular developing staff networks.
She is the ICS Pathology Network Director and has taken on both ICS, North East & Yorkshire, and national roles to support testing throughout the pandemic.
The list is judged on 3 main criteria, namely the performance of the chief executive during the pandemic, including periods of recovery between waves, the performance of the organisation they lead, and the contribution the chief executive has made to the wider health and social care system.
The list is chosen by some of the NHS’s leading figures including Lord Victor Adebowale, chair of the NHS Confederation, Sir David Sloman, chief operating officer at NHS England, and Habib Naqvi, director at the NHS Race and Health Observatory.