Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Nerissa Vaughan,
Chief Executive

Nerissa has been the Trust's Chief Executive since October 2011.

Keen to integrate health services, she joined the Trust following the acquisition of Wiltshire Community Services.

She has been working closely with partners in Wiltshire to develop innovative organisational structures that help deliver seemless care.

She joined the NHS as a graduate management trainee in 1991 and has worked mainly in the hospital sector since then, holding a variety of roles including Director of Operations, Director of Planning and CEO.

Guy Rooney,
Medical Director and Deputy Chief Executive

Guy has been the Trust's Medical Director since April 2014.

He has worked for the Trust for 16 years, joining as a consultant in sexual health and HIV.

He is keen to continue the drive for clinical engagement in all aspects of the Trust's work, with a focus on the transformation work needed to deliver Simon Stevens' five-year vision for the NHS.

Guy was appointed Deputy Chief Executive in August 2016.

Oonagh Fitzgerald,
Director of Human Resources

Oonagh oversees all matters regarding workforce, organisational development, staff health and wellbeing, health and safety, and learning and development.

She is responsible for the on-going recruitment drive and is committed to recruiting, motivating and developing high-quality staff and maintaining safe staffing levels.

Oonagh has been with the Trust since February 2008.

Hilary Walker,
Chief Nurse

Hilary has been the Trust's Chief Nurse since November 2012.

She provides the professional leadership for the nurses, midwives and allied healthcare professionals across the Trust and is passionate about ensuring the right high-quality care is provided for patients.

Hilary is responsible for the Trust's quality arrangements and for making sure that nursing and midwifery staff are equipped to provide contemporary healthcare. 

Karen Johnson,
Director of Finance

Karen is responsible for finance and is committed to ensuring the Trust provides good value for money whilst maintaining good quality services.

She is focusing on ensuring that the Trust has a sustainable financial position and is working closely with divisions to achieve this.

Karen joined the Trust in January 2013 and was appointed to her current position in August 2015.

Kevin McNamara,
Director of Strategy and Community Services

Kevin oversees several key areas including Swindon Community Health Services, which comprises a range of adult community health services in Swindon including Swindon Intermediate Care Centre (SwICC), Community Nursing and therapies.

He also has responsibility for a range of corporate functions including the Trust's internal and external communications services; its charity, Brighter Futures; and its estates and facilities function including overseeing the Private Funding Initiative (PFI).

Kevin has worked for the Trust in a number of roles since joining in November 2009, and his main priority is to realise the potential for integrating community and secondary care services with the wider system.

Jim O'Connell, Chief Operating Officer

Jim joined the Trust as Chief Operating Officer in October 2017.

Following a brief career in the private sector, Jim has over 25 years' NHS experience with over 20 at executive level.

Previous Chief Operating Officer posts have included University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, Salisbury Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and University Hospitals South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust.

Prior to working as Chief Operating Officer, Jim worked as a Workforce Director both at hospital and regional level and was National Programme Director for the implementation of the Electronic Staff Record (ESR) - the world's largest HR and payroll system.

Carole Nicholl,
Director of Governance and Assurance

Carole is responsible for the Trust's assurance framework and corporate governance, including the company secretarial function and legal services. 

Her focus is to ensure that the Board receives assurance on all matters relating to Trust business and that there is an effective Council of Governors working alongside it to represent the views of members and local people.

Carole previously worked in local government leading on democratic services, and joined the Trust in 2011.