North East Ambulance Service appoints new Chief Executive

Kevin, who is a former director of finance and contracting at North East Ambulance Service before moving to CNTW, will replace Helen Ray, who is retiring after 42 years’ service in the NHS.

NEAS chairman Prof Stuart Corbridge said: “I am delighted that Kevin is joining us as our new chief executive. His leadership skills, aligned with his expertise in finance and strategy, will directly shape our future locally and within the wider health and care system as we work to address the evolving needs of our local population.

“He is ideally placed to lead our service and work with our partners across the region to deliver high quality care to all those we serve. He brings a passion for patient care and staff wellbeing, which are integral to our Trust values; and his supportive approach and drive will ensure that we are able to continue our development journey and attract and retain exceptional people to work here.”

Prof Corbridge added: “I would also like to thank the tremendous efforts of Helen Ray, who is retiring in May, for leading us through the pandemic and its aftermath with compassion and courage.

“She has also guided the organisation through a challenging period of service improvement in governance and performance response times, but her passion and commitment to partnership working has benefited not only our organisation but the wider health and care system. She will be greatly missed, but we wish her all the best for her well-deserved retirement.”

Kevin said: “I am thrilled to be re-joining North East Ambulance Service as the new chief executive. I am looking forward to working again with its talented teams and building on the strong foundations that have been established by Helen and to explore how we can continue to further improve and develop services for patients.

“I know that the staff at NEAS strive to provide exceptional care each and every day and I am looking forward to getting started to build on the service’s reputation as a high performing Trust with a focus on research, innovation and delivering excellent care for the local population.”

Kevin, who lives in Sedgefield, has previously worked for South Tees and North Tees Hospitals as well as North of England Commissioning Support Service.

His appointment was approved by the Council of Governors at NEAS today (17 March) following a competitive recruitment process.