Neil Dardis appointed as chief executive officer of Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust
Neil Dardis has been appointed as chief executive at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust.
Neil joined the Trust as chief operating officer and deputy chief executive in 2013 from East and North Herts NHS Trust where he was director of operations. He has more than 20 years’ experience in the NHS, having held a number of operational and management posts.
Trust chair Hattie Llewelyn-Davies said: ‘Neil represents a new generation of NHS leadership and it is great that we have been able to nurture and develop this talent from within our organisation.
This is an exciting time for the Trust as we continue with our transformation. I am confident that Neil’s energy and drive, along with his commitment and ambition for our staff and our patients, will ensure that we can continue to maintain high quality care for our patients, as well as positively respond to the challenges facing the NHS in the future.‘
Since April 2015 Neil has been interim chief executive at the Trust, following Anne Eden’s secondment to the NHS TDA. He has been credited with overseeing significant and rapid improvements in quality of care, such as reducing mortality rates to better than the national average, reducing falls and establishing the stroke unit as amongst the top 12% in the country. The Trust has also implemented significant changes to end of life care and in tackling dementia.
Neil’s particular commitment to staff engagement has led to the creation of a new set of CARE values, developed by staff and patients and a programme to develop strong and supportive leadership within the Trust. 2015 saw the Trust’s largest response by staff to the national NHS survey, and a number of significantly improved scores on previous years, with 65% in line or better than the national average.
Commenting on his appointment, Neil said: ‘I have loved the last 18 months, I am proud of what we have achieved so far and I am humbled by the dedication of our staff and volunteers. Valuing our teams has been one of my key priorities over the past year, it is fundamental to delivering great standards of care for our patients.
The NHS is unique and I understand how much our services mean to our communities. These are my local services too, where my family and friends are treated, and I have a strong ambition and aspiration to make us the safest healthcare system in the country.
We cannot achieve this in isolation and I look forward to working with our partners, our communities, our patients and our staff in making this vision a reality.‘
