Caroline Donovan has now joined Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust as its interim chief executive

Caroline Donovan has promised to “improve mental health outcomes for all” as she starts her role at Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust as interim chief executive officer.

Ms Donovan joined the trust last week and spent time with departing CEO Stuart Richardson ensuring that she is fully sighted on the trust’s challenges and continuing improvement journey.

Earlier this year the trust was recognised by the Care Quality Commission as “moving at pace”, with 60% of services being rated as good, while legal warning notices relating to concerns about the quality and safety of care were removed.

Ms Donovan, a nurse by background, is the former chief executive of Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust, a mental health and learning disability provider.

She has also been chief executive at North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust, a provider of mental health, social care, learning disability, and substance misuse services where the trust was rated ‘Outstanding’ by the CQC under her leadership.

Upon officially starting her role, she said: “I am delighted to join NSFT at such an important time for the trust and the communities we serve.

“I am looking forward to engaging, supporting, and developing our dedicated workforce so that together we can make further robust improvements to the specialist mental health services we provide.

“My mission is to lead our organisation to a position where we are improving mental health outcomes for all people who use our services by providing accessible, compassionate, person-centred care at every opportunity.”