Interim Chief Executive and Medical Director, Professor Stephen Singleton
(Executive Director)
Professor Stephen Singleton took up the post of Interim Chief Executive in October 2012.
He joined the cluster team from NHS North East where he was the Medical Director, Director of Performance and Chief Knowledge Officer.
As a former rural GP and Director of Public Health in Northumberland Stephen has been Medical Director of NHS North East since its inception, previously being in the post for the former Northumberland, Tyne and Wear SHA. Stephen has a long term interest in knowledge management and until very recently was Vice Chair of the NHS Evidence Advisory Board (NICE).
He is a Visiting Professor of Applied Epidemiology in the Institute of Health and Society at Newcastle University and has research interests in quality, safety, medical education and informatics.
Chief Operating Officer, Richard Barker
(Executive Director)
Richard joined the cluster team from NHS North East where he was the Director of Commissioning Development. He was one of the 10 regional development commissioners appointed to lead the NHS through the transition phase.
His previous roles also included Chief Operating Officer for NHS South of Tyne and Wear. This followed ten years as an Executive Director within Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals. He commenced NHS management in 1984 and his previous career has included senior roles with a Regional Health Authority, District Health Authority and in Hospital Management.
Director of Nursing, Gill Harris (Executive Director)
Gill was seconded to NHS North of England in May 2012, following her success as Deputy Chief Executive, Director of Nursing and Performance and Director of Infection Prevention and Control (DIPC) at Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust (WWL), where she was responsible for the day to day management of the Trust as well as professional and strategic leadership for Quality.
Gill provides strong professional leadership to the nursing and midwifery workforce. She strives to ensure patients receive the best and safest standards of care, through her relentless promotion of compassion, dignity, respect and the delivery of improvements. Within the health economy Gill is the clinical lead for the multi-agency QIPP programme which promotes self care, community case management and admission avoidance.
Gill’s leadership role also extends to a number of regional commitments including the North West Director of Nursing Lead for E4E. Her active involvement in this and other initiatives clearly demonstrates her commitment to the highest standards of patient care, quality and safety.
Director of Finance, Jane Tomkinson (Executive Director)
Jane qualified as an accountant in local government. She joined the NHS in 1990 and since then has held a number of positions in acute trusts. She was appointed as Director of Finance to Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in August 2003 and led the financial aspects of the Foundation Trust application, which was successfully granted as one of the first 10 foundation trusts in April 2004. In 2005 Jane was appointed as Deputy Chief Executive at the trust. In 2005, Jane moved to NHS North West as Director of Finance, before taking the lead finance role at NHS North of England in 2012.
Jane has an MBA from Keele University and is Chair of her local Age Concern charity. She is also a member of her Parish Council.
In December 2007, Jane was presented with the inaugural HFMA award of 'Finance Director of the Year.'
Director of Workforce and Education , Tim Gilpin (Director)
Tim joined the cluster team from NHS Yorkshire and the Humber where he was the Director of Human Resources. Tim has over 25 years experience of Human Resource Management within the NHS. He has been a Director of Human Resources in a variety of NHS organisations including Mental Health, Community and Acute Services.
His last post was a Director of Human Resources at Cumbria and Lancashire Strategic Health Authority and prior to this he was Director of Human Resources at Central Manchester and Manchester Children’s University Hospitals NHS Trust for five years.
Cluster Director of Public Health , Professor Paul Johnstone (Director)
Paul joined the cluster team from NHS Yorkshire & the Humber where he was the Director of Public health since 2002. Since joining the NHS in 1983, Paul has worked as a hospital doctor, GP and as a manager. He has worked in a number of developing countries with experience in refugee camps convincing him of a need for a managed approach to public health. In 1993 he trained in public health at Oxford and London, and worked for the Cochrane Collaboration and Oxford University as honorary senior lecturer. In 1999 Paul became Executive Director of Public Health and Medical Director in Teesside before moving to Yorkshire and Humber.
