The chief executive of an NHS trust serving Brighton and Hove is to leave in the new year to take up a job in the north of England.
Sam Allen, 46, who runs Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, wrote to staff earlier today (Thursday 11 November) to share the news.
She said: “I will be leaving Sussex Partnership in the new year to take up the newly established position of CEO of the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care System.
“I wanted to tell you – in confidence for now – before the news is made public at 12.30pm today.
“It has been a privilege to have been CEO of Sussex Partnership for the past five years.
“I have had the pleasure of working alongside many wonderful people in our mental health, learning disability, care home and support services across Sussex and Hampshire.
“I am incredibly proud of the work you do to provide skilled, kind and compassionate care, and the support you provide to each other.
“Your work and commitment to the people we serve embodies all that makes the NHS so special.
“This has been especially evident in your ongoing response to the covid-19 pandemic and the impact it has had on people.
“From next year, I will be supporting and thinking about you from a different part of the health and care system.
“Integrated care systems are new partnerships being established across England.
“Having been closely involved in developing ours in this area (Sussex Health and Care Partnership), I am incredibly excited about the potential they bring to join up health and care for the people we serve.
“They have a lead role in tackling health inequalities, improving healthcare and health outcomes.
“I will remain committed to making sure that mental health and learning disabilities remain integral to how these systems develop.
“I am sure I will have the opportunity to speak with many of you before I leave Sussex Partnership.
“In the meantime, I want to say a personal, heartfelt thank you for everything you do together in service to our patients, families, carers and local communities.
“I will remain part of our shared endeavour to improve the quality of life for the people we serve, and I will watch you keep making a difference across Sussex and Hampshire from the North of England.
“I shall greatly miss everyone at Sussex Partnership in a such a way that is hard to put into words. You each embody the spirit of everything the NHS stands for.
“It is these values, the way you live them and your teamwork that makes Sussex Partnership a great place to work and a hard place to leave.
“Keep putting the people we serve first, keep supporting each other and in the words that have guided us over the last 18 months: be kind, stay safe and keep connected.”
