The head of a North East NHS trust has been named the best mental health trust chief executive in the country.
Chief executive of Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (NTW), John Lawlor, has been honoured in the Health Service Journal’s (HSJ) top 50 NHS chief executives. Mr Lawlor was named twelfth in the country, and was the highest ranking mental health leader in the list.
The HSJ is one of the health sector’s leading publications and this is its fourth annual ranking of NHS trust chief executives.
Mr Lawlor, who made the top 15 on his first time in the rankings, said: “I am really pleased that the achievements of our fantastic staff and our good relations with local partners have been recognised by national leaders in these awards.
“It remains a privilege to be chief executive of NTW, which is – after 32 years of public service – the best job I’ve ever done. “
He was also the highest ranking chief executive based in a North East trust. NTW is one of the largest mental health and disability trusts in the country, serving a population of roughly 1.4 million people from Berwick down to Wearside.
Mr Lawlor lives in Northumberland with his wife Julie, having moved to the North East in 2013. He has been chief executive at NTW since June 2014. He is open about the fact that he suffers with recurring depression, and campaigns both against stigma and to support action to ensure mental health is treated equally with physical health issues.
The HSJ’s analysis of NHS leaders was judged by some leading figures in healthcare, including CQC chief inspector of hospitals, Professor Sir Mike Richards, NHS England medical director, Sir Bruce Keogh and NHS Improvement director of nursing, Ruth May.
Chief executives were judged on three main criteria: the performance of their trust; their contribution to the wider health economy or the NHS; and their personal example. The North of England was well represented in the top 50, with 19 chief executives featured.
The full list can be seen here: https://guides.hsj.co.uk/5539.guide