Universities Hospitals of Morecambe Bay (UHMBT) has appointed Bev Edgar (pictured) as interim chief people officer on an initial three-month basis from August.
Edgar, who has joined while the trust recruits a permanent chief people officer, has spent 19 years working across the NHS in England and Wales, including leading specialist recruitment campaigns, introducing rostering and bank systems, and developing training programmes to support both leadership capability and cultural integration.
She joined from Dudley Integrated Health and Care NHS Trust, where she led on the development of new HR and organisational development services in order to develop an integration agreement with 42 GP practices.
In 2017, Edgar joined NHS Improvement, leading on the national people strategy for NHS England and Improvement which was aimed at tackling violence, aggression and bullying against staff. Before that, she held board director posts at Abertawe Bro Meganwwy University Health Board, Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, and Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre NHS Trust in Oxford.
Edgar said: “I am so pleased to be welcomed by the UHMBT teams. All staff in the NHS can help create a culture that promotes wellbeing and inclusivity. Supporting openness and positive working relationships is good for us all. We lead by example, and I look forward to meeting with many of our staff to hear their voices. Thank you for all you do in our NHS, my family live locally so working with you makes this role even more important to me.”