University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT) has appointed Alison Balson (pictured) as chief people officer, to start in the new year.
Balson has worked in human resources in the NHS for more than 20 years, and was the chief people officer and director of workforce at Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust from 2015.
She is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and has an MA in Human Resources Management. Balson also co-chairs the NHS NW HR director network, where she is currently leading regional work on employee wellbeing, and is a member of several national advisory groups.
Interim chief people officer Bev Edgar will remain in the post until the end of the year.
Balson said: “I have a passion for staff engagement, partnership working and person-centred HR policy, having led trust wide engagement programmes that focus on culture, leadership, wellbeing, team engagement and personal development. I truly believe in creating the right cultural conditions for colleagues to flourish at work, recognising this results in a positive experience for our patients.
“Taking up the position of chief people officer at UHMBT feels like coming home. I’m really looking forward to being part of the trust’s improvement journey and helping UHMBT be a great place to work and a great place to be cared for.”
Aaron Cummins, chief executive of the UHMBT, added: “We are very pleased to have appointed someone of Ali’s calibre to our executive team. Her extensive skills and experience and values will help us to further progress some of our key focus areas, including our cultural transformation work, recruitment and retention, and colleague health and wellbeing, both within the trust and across our local health and care system.”
