GOSH appoints new Chief Operating Officer

Phil Walmsley has been appointed as Great Ormond Street Hospital’s (GOSH) new Chief Operating Officer.

Following a thorough recruitment process, Phil will be joining the Trust on 1 October on a one-year secondment from Weston Area Health NHS Trust, in Weston-super-Mare, where he is currently Director of Operations.

He has 15 years of operational management experience and prior to his current role, he was Director of Operations for Hinchingbrooke NHS Trust in Cambridgeshire and had previously held senior operational roles at NHS Trusts including University Hospitals of Leicester and Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

Phil started his career as a nurse and originally trained at GOSH. He said: “I am really looking forward to coming back to GOSH. I trained here as a nurse 30 years ago and I’m very proud to be re-joining the team. I am excited about the experience I can bring to the organisation but also about what I can learn while I am here.

“I am very proud to work in the NHS. I am value led with a real focus on patient care and team working and I have a collaborative approach. I know staff in the NHS come to work to do a good job and I see my role as supporting them to do that. There is huge opportunity here with so many committed staff looking after patients to the highest standard. A key area of focus will be use of current resources and reducing waiting times.”

Mat Shaw, Chief Executive, said: “I am delighted Phil is joining the GOSH executive management team. He brings with him a wealth of operational knowledge and experience. He also brings a commitment to ensure the hospital continues to provide the best possible treatment and care for our patients and families and the best opportunities for our staff.

"I would like to say a personal thank you to Andrew Taylor, who has been Acting Chief Operating Officer for us. He's done a fantastic job introducing our EPR and has made great progress in how we operate as a Trust. He's resuming his role as Clinical Director of Operations, where he'll be supporting our innovation activities so that we keep improving. He's got such a strong track record in this area that I know GOSH will be a better place for our patients and colleagues with his insight and guidance."