We're delighted to announce that Graham Wareham has been appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for our Trust.
Graham was made interim CEO of the Trust in December 2021. He replaced Fiona Edwards who was appointed as Chief Executive designate for the NHS Frimley Integrated Care Board the same month.
Graham’s appointment as permanent CEO follows a rigorous selection process. Candidates for the position spoke with a number of external and internal stakeholder groups about their views on the next stage of development for the Trust. They discussed how they'd engage colleagues in the Trust, people using our services, carers and system partners to deliver high quality services now and in the future.
The interview panel consisted of the Chair, Deputy Chair and Senior Independent Director together with the Chair Designate of the Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Board and an external panellist – a former-CEO of a similar Trust. In making its recommendation on behalf the Board, the panel considered the environment within which the Trust is operating, the candidate's vision for the coming years and the panel’s view of their ability to deliver outstanding integrated care for the population of Surrey and North East Hampshire.
On the appointment, Dr Ian McPherson Chair of our Trust, said: “As we move into the new era of integrated care systems, we require a CEO who can work collaboratively with system partners in all agencies while advocating for improved support for the mental health of people in the communities we serve. The panel, the Board and the Council of Governors have all given me confidence that Graham is that person and I look forward to watching him make his very clear vision a reality.”
On his appointment, Graham Wareham, said:“I’m very aware of the responsibility I carry as Chief Executive Officer and passionate about the opportunity it brings to help lead a wonderful organisation to become truly excellent. As part of the recruitment process, I was given the opportunity to outline my vision for the future of Surrey and Borders Partnership which I'll be outlining to colleagues over the coming weeks. I feel that for us to go from a Trust that is rated ‘good’ by the CQC to one that is rated ‘excellent’ is in reach, and much of what we need to do to reach that goal is simply about changing our approach to problems and slightly adjusting our thinking. It will lead to better clinical care, a happier workplace and fewer people finding our services difficult to access.
“Taking on this challenge is something I relish because I am surrounded by outstanding people. Our dedicated, hard-working and caring colleagues, our Board and Governors who freely give up huge amounts of time to help us, and our system partners who work with us so collaboratively to the betterment of the public we serve.”
Graham joined the Trust in February 2015 from Leonard Cheshire Disability, a charity which provides support for disabled people. During his time as Chief Financial Officer there, Graham worked very closely with the Chief Executive in developing future plans and managing day to day performance of the charity. Graham stepped up to the position of Chief Executive in April 2021, having previously been our Chief Finance Officer and Deputy Chief Executive.
He started his career in 1995 with British Airways and then with food retailer, Safeway, working across a wide number of finance roles including supply chain, retail, operations and change management and has played a significant role in implementing efficiency projects.