Welcome to our Board

 

The Board is accountable for our vision, strategy, operational management, and financial decisions. We have a unitary Board which consists of fourteen Board Members, eight voting Non-Executive Directors, including the Chair, and seven voting Executive Directors.

 

Executive Directors 

Our Executive Directors are responsible for the day to day management of the Trust and are also part of the Board. They are led by the Chief Executive. 

 

Non-Executive Directors 

Non-Executive Directors ensure that the Board acts in the best interests of our patients and community. They are appointed based on their skill and experience for a specific term. 

 

Trust Chair

The Trust Chair, who is a Non-Executive Director holds a dual role as Chair of the Board of Directors as well as the Council of Governors. This means that the Chair is responsible for leading both the Board and the Council of Governors to ensure that they are working together effectively.

Additionally, the Board also includes a Deputy Chair who deputises for the Chair when appropriate and a Senior Independent Director (SID) who is appointed by the Board made in consultation with the Council of Governors. The SID should act as the point of contact with the Board of Directors if Governors have concerns which approaches through normal channels have failed to resolve or for which such approaches are inappropriate. The SID may also act as the point of contact with the Board for Governors when they discuss for example the Chair's performance.

The Board works closely with our Council of Governors who represents the views of our local community.

 

Contacting the Board 

All Board members may be contacted via the Contact Us page here. 

 

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Wayne Darch

Wayne Darch

 

Director of Operations (Local Services) & Accountable Emergency Officer

Wayne Darch MBE is Director of Operations (Local Services) and Accountable Emergency Officer at South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) and a member of the Trust Board. He is responsible for leading the delivery of frontline operational urgent & emergency care ambulance services and the Emergency Preparedness, resilience and response services across the South West, ensuring high-quality, safe and effective care for patients while supporting the Trust's performance, workforce and service improvement ambitions.

With more than 29 years of operational leadership experience in ambulance services, Wayne has held a range of senior operational, command and leadership roles. He is an experienced Strategic Commander and has led the Trust's response to several major incidents and periods of significant operational challenge. Most notably, he led SWASFT's strategic response to the Salisbury nerve agent attacks in 2018 and played a key leadership role during the COVID-19 pandemic. His contributions to pre-hospital emergency service, resilience and public service were recognised with the award of a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2021. 

Wayne is passionate about supporting frontline colleagues to deliver outstanding patient care and believes strongly in compassionate, visible and accountable leadership. He is committed to developing leaders at all levels, strengthening operational performance and working collaboratively with healthcare and emergency service partners to improve outcomes for the communities served by the Trust.

As a member of the Trust Board, Wayne provides executive leadership across local operational services, helping to shape the Trust's strategic direction while ensuring that the needs of patients, staff and volunteers remain at the heart of decision-making.

 

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