South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust is pleased to announce the appointment of a new Chief Executive.
Simon Weldon, currently Group Chief Executive of University Hospitals of Northamptonshire Group, will be joining the Trust on 24 April 2023.
He takes up the position from Siobhan Melia who has held the post on an interim basis since July 2022, and is returning to her substantive post at Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust at the end of this month.
Simon joins the Trust with a wealth of leadership experience, with a NHS career spanning more than 20 years across acute and commissioning sectors.
As Group Chief Executive of University Hospitals of Northamptonshire from 2020, he led the trust to university hospital status.
Prior to this position, Simon was Chief Executive of Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust where he led the organisation out of quality special measures.
In announcing his appointment, the Trust’s Chair, David Astley said: “I am very pleased that Simon is joining us and am sure that SECAmb will benefit significantly from his wide-ranging experience. I know that he will provide strong leadership and guidance to our leadership team and to the Trust as a whole as we continue on our improvement journey.
“I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank Siobhan for her support during the past nine months. She has delivered excellent leadership to the Trust and provided firm foundations for Simon and the team to build on.”
Simon said: “I am delighted to be joining SECAmb and taking forward the work that is already underway to improve the Trust.
Having worked extensively across a number of sectors, I am keen to use my prior experiences to support the tremendous work that I know ambulance services deliver and that is valued so highly by our patients and communities.
I very much look forward to working with colleagues, volunteers and partners to ensure we make SECAmb a place we can all be proud of.”