John Syson has been appointed as the new Director of People at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King’s Lynn.
John takes up his position on 1 August following a competitive recruitment process involving executive colleagues, governors, staff and stakeholders.
He has been interim director at QEH since March, aligning with the departure of Jo Humphries to Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.
His appointment brings the executive team to full strength, signalling a new era of leadership at the Trust with imminent arrivals by 1 September of Pippa Street as Chief Nurse, Dr Rebecca Martin as Medical Director and Simon Illingworth as Chief Operating Officer.
CEO Alice Webster commented: “John’s formal appointment means we will shortly have a complete leadership team able to take us on the journey of improving all we do for our patients, their families and our staff. With these solid foundations in place, we will have the skill, ambition and determination to bring about positive change, working collectively and collaboratively at QEH and with our system partners.
“Our people are our greatest asset and I know John will be striving to do all that is possible to improve and develop our organisational culture, particularly around recruitment, training and retention of staff.”
Prior to his arrival John was Director of Workforce at East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust and has worked as Deputy Director of Workforce and Organisational Development at Royal Papworth NHS Foundation Trust. He was most recently in a strategic role at Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care System.
He has extensive experience of workforce planning, managing, inspiring, and improving HR teams, forging relationships with trade unions, and managing complex and challenging employee relations issues.
John describes himself as a “passionate about the NHS and the exceptional contribution it and those that work in it have made. I love developing capable and engaged teams to improve patient and staff experience.”
He said: “I am delighted to now be in a substantive role as Director of People, building on the work already under way. The past few months have shown me that the Trust has enormous potential. I am looking forward to working together with you all, trade union colleagues and the Norfolk and Waveney system to make the staff and patient experience the best it can be. I am confident we can make the QEH an even better place to work, learn and volunteer as we look forward to our new hospital.”
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