Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust

Chris Hearn

Joint Chief Financial Officer

During his time in the NHS, Chris has worked in a number of senior finance roles within acute, mental health and community trusts, and prior to this has experience across a variety of technical and commercial finance roles within a large Fast Moving Consumer Goods organisation. Chris is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), having qualified with PwC London where he was involved in the audit of a number of FTSE 100 companies. Chris joined Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in October 2022 and was subsequently appointed into the role of Joint Chief Finance Officer across Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust and Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust with effect from February 2024.

Dawn Dawson

Joint Chief Nursing Officer

Dawn is a highly motivated, confident, and enthusiastic clinical executive with extensive and varied executive leadership experience in community, mental health, secondary care, and system settings. Her focus is on strategic thinking, combined with collaborative high trust leadership. Dawn is a registered nurse with an extensive clinical background having worked across acute, community and the mental health sector. Her commitment is to create an empowered culture in which all colleagues strive to deliver safe, high quality, compassionate care every day. Dawn has a broad academic background, which includes psychology, law, legal practice, post-compulsory education, strategic system leadership, and business administration. Dawn is a Chartered Member of the Chartered Management Institute and a qualified executive coach. Dawn was awarded a visiting professorship from Bournemouth University in 2021. She was appointed Chief Nurse at Dorset HealthCare in April 2018 and since April 2024 has been Joint Chief Nurse for both Dorset HealthCare and Dorset County Hospital.

Dr Lucy Knight

Chief Medical Officer

Lucy previously worked at Somerset NHS Foundation Trust where she was the Medical Director for Mental Health, Learning Disabilities and Community Services. She is an old age psychiatrist and has worked in liaison services for many years. Lucy has a passion for person-centred, inclusive care, and has supported the development of clinical and organisational strategy around the integration of services and systems. She has been a Dorset resident for most of her life, and has family and roots across the county.

Jenny Horrabin

Joint Executive Director of Corporate Affairs

Jenny was appointed Joint Executive Director of Corporate Affairs for Dorset HealthCare and Dorset County Hospital in March 2024. She is a qualified accountant and chartered company secretary. She worked in audit and assurance for over 20 years in the public and private sector, before moving into a Company Secretary role in the NHS in 2012. She joined the trusts from Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust, having previously worked in senior governance and corporate affairs roles in two Clinical Commissioning Groups. Jenny has a passion for continuous improvement and excellence in practice and is an active member of the NHS Company Secretaries Network and a member of the HFMA Audit and Governance Committee. She is also a trustee of a charity and an Audit Committee Member at Citizen Housing.

Nick Johnson

Executive Director

Nicola Plumb

Joint Chief People Officer

Nicola joined Dorset HealthCare's Trust Board in 2014 and was appointed Joint Chief People Officer in February 2024. She is passionate about the NHS and has spent her career in the public sector since graduating from Durham University with a Politics degree in 2000. Nicola has held a variety of communications and development roles in the NHS and Department of Health including working at NHS Bournemouth and Poole, Communications Advisor to the NHS Chief Executive and working as Head of Brand for NHS England.

Rachel Small

Chief Operating Officer

Rachel has more than 15 years of experience working in the health and social care system in Dorset. She has led a wide range of mental health and community services including primary care, social care, community care, specialist and tertiary services, working alongside numerous commissioning bodies. In her previous role as Service Director, Rachel was responsible for all age mental health and learning disabilities services in Dorset HealthCare, as well as services for children, young people and families. Her portfolio covered more than 200 teams with around 3,000 staff. Rachel is passionate about bringing lived experience into service delivery and enabling professionals and people using services to recognise the contribution peer specialists can offer. Her other professional passion is in advocating for gender equality, and she was a founding member and co-chair of Dorset HealthCare's Women's Network. She is a chartered manager with the Chartered Management Institute and active in local voluntary work. Cara is a registered nurse who began her career in acute hospital services in Essex before moving to Dorset in 2003. Since then, she has built extensive experience across community and mental health services, holding a range of clinical, operational and leadership roles. Throughout her career, Cara has worked as a Matron, Locality Manager and Associate Director of Operations before moving into senior nursing leadership positions. She is a graduate of London South Bank University's Aspiring Director Programme and a Chief Nursing Officer Safe Staffing Fellow, contributing to national work on safe staffing and workforce planning. Passionate about delivering high-quality, compassionate care, Cara is committed to ensuring the best possible experiences for patients, service users and staff. She believes that creating positive cultures, supporting colleagues and maintaining high standards of care are fundamental to achieving outstanding outcomes. As Interim Chief Nursing Officer, Cara brings a wealth of nursing and operational leadership experience and is proud to support Dorset HealthCare's continued focus on quality, safety and improving the lives of the people who use and deliver its services.

Andreas Haimboeck-Tichy

Non-Executive Director

Andreas has more than 25 years of experience in the IT/digital industry and is currently Managing Director at Healthcare at Accenture UK with a mission to help the NHS transform through the use of data, Artificial Intelligence and other digital technologies. Prior to that he was a Director at Healthcare and Life Sciences at IBM UK. He has worked to improve children's experience of hospital stays and visits with Alder Hey Hospital, with Versus Arthritis UK to improve patient pain management and with Velindre NHS Trust to improve patient experience during cancer treatment using Artificial Intelligence (AI). Following Wannacry, Andreas led the work with NHS Digital for Cyber Security supporting the NHS system to become more resilient and better prepared for future cyber attacks. He previously also worked with a charity for the disabled as a member of the Board of Trustees overseeing the development of strategy and approving the strategic direction and policies for the charity. Andreas is currently the Chair of the Health and Social Care (HSC) Council, techUK and leads regular Council meetings. This has included the co-ordination of techUK HSC Industry response to COVID-19, current work on Frontline Digitisation and initiatives focusing on diversity and inclusion and the development of skills and tech talent in the health tech sector.

Claire Lehman

Joint NED

As a GP and public health consultant, Claire brings a holistic perspective in understanding needs of the changing demographic of our local communities. She is a keen advocate of empowering individuals to direct their own health trajectories. Her previous leadership experience includes roles as health protection lead consultant in a local authority during the COVID-19 pandemic , as a GP partner, as a GP clinical lead for quality and as an LMC Medical Director, as well as 18 months as Medical Officer for the British Antarctic Survey. Claire is strongly motivated to positively influence the health and social care services of those served by the Trust.

David Underwood

Joint NED

Dave is an experienced senior leader having worked first at the Civil Aviation Authority as an Air Traffic Control Scientist and Research Manager before joining the Met Office, in 1998, to lead their Civil Aviation Business. Over 20 years with the Met Office Dave undertook a range of senior executive roles including Group Head of Public Sector Business, Deputy Director of Technology and Information Systems and latterly Deputy Director of High-Performance Computing. In addition to his executive roles Dave has more than 10 years non-executive leadership experience gained in the fields of Environmental Business, Further Education (serving on the Board of Exeter College) and most recently as a Non-Executive Independent Advisor to the Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust with regard to their MyCare Technology enabled Transformation Programme. Dave is passionate about delivering effective leadership of change and promoting the benefits of careers in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine.

Dr Alexander Priest DL

Non-Executive Director

Alex has a background in mental health, law and healthcare governance. He studied Chemistry at the University of Oxford before completing a doctorate in artificial intelligence and oncology, focusing on the computational design of cancer drugs. During his time at Oxford, he served on a divisional board and was a student representative to University Council. He qualified as an intellectual property lawyer before, in 2016 becoming Chief Executive of Mind in Somerset. One of the largest local Mind charities in England, it provides mental health support to around 19,000 people each year across Somerset and the wider South West. Alex is also a Non-Executive Director of Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, where he chairs the Mental Health Act Committee, and is a Maternity Safety Champion. His previous governance roles include board appointments at Yeovil District Hospital, Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Bath and Wells Multi-Academy Trust, and Wessex Scouts. He is a Deputy Lieutenant of Somerset and lives on the Somerset/Dorset border, where he farms with his young family.

Eiri Jones

Joint NED and Deputy Trust Chair

Eiri joined Dorset County Hospital in January 2022 and in September 2024 was appointed as a joint Non-Executive Director at Dorset HealthCare. She is a registered adult and children's nurse, has an MA in Professional Development, and is a QI practitioner who has supported several organisations with improvement work. Eiri has clinical, managerial and executive leadership knowledge and skills gained during a career spanning nearly 50 years. She has held senior and board positions in a range of trusts in England and Wales and has also held regional (Trust Development Authority), national (Welsh Government and State of Qatar) and regulatory (Nursing and Midwifery Council) appointments. Her most recent full-time role was as the Regional Director for Getting it Right First Time (GIRFT) in the South West region. She was a clinical Non-Executive Director at Salisbury Foundation Trust, where she also served as Interim Chair.

Frances West

Non-Executive Director

Nikki Rowland

Non-Executive Director

Nikki currently serves as Deputy Chair and Chair of the Remuneration Committee at Care Dorset, bringing more than two decades of experience in NHS financial management, governance and system collaboration. An FCCA-qualified accountant since 2003, Nikki has held senior roles across all aspects of NHS finance, as well as oversight of business intelligence, GDPR, estates, procurement, contracting and IT. As Chief Finance Officer of Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), she oversaw a £1bn+ allocation and played a pivotal role in championing the multi award-winning Dorset Intelligence and Insight Service (DiiS). She also led the finance work for Dorset's Sustainability and Transformation Partnership, negotiating a collaborative agreement across four NHS Foundation Trusts and the CCG, and contributed nationally to the development of ICS financial frameworks — earning the HFMA South-West Deputy Director of Finance of the Year Award in 2018. In her interim Finance Director role at Wiltshire Health and Care, Nikki led a rapid financial recovery programme, ensuring the implementation of a new inpatient workforce model with improved controls and delivering significant reductions in agency usage and rates. She also oversaw the financial transition of services to a new provider, supporting continuity and sustainability. Nikki continues to champion the role of community and mental health services, drawing on her own lived experience to act as a voice for others. Carly is Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of the Faculty of Health, Environment and Medical Sciences at Bournemouth University. A Professor of Social Science and Health, she provides executive leadership for a multi-disciplinary faculty with responsibility for education, research, people, partnerships and commercial activity across health, life and environmental sciences. Throughout her career, Carly has led strategic transformation across higher education and healthcare, with a particular focus on organisational culture, people and partnership working. She has led cross-university initiatives to strengthen equality, inclusion and organisational development, including chairing the University's Athena Swan Steering Group, which secured institutional Silver accreditation. She works closely with NHS organisations, integrated care systems, professional regulators and regional partners to support workforce development, innovation and service improvement. Alongside her executive role, Carly has developed broad board and governance experience across higher education, healthcare and commercial settings. She is a Director of Bournemouth University Community Business Ltd, serves on the Board of Wessex Health Partners and is the Nominated Individual for Bournemouth University's CQC-registered MRI service. Carly is passionate about creating cultures where people, partnerships and organisations can thrive. She brings strategic insight, an evidence-informed systems perspective and an inclusive leadership style, with a strong commitment to improving outcomes for patients, students, staff and the communities they serve.

Sir David Haslam CBE

Non-Executive Director

Steven Peacock

Non-Executive Director

Suresh Ariaratnam

Non-Executive Director

He remains involved in helping to ensure the equitable treatment of marginalised people, in the creative economy and more generally, through advocacy and activism. As a Non-Executive director for Dorset HealthCare and NHS Somerset, he is especially interested in the broader socio-economic determinants of health and their relationship to inequalities, and in a holistic understanding of wellbeing which champions the interdependency between personal, societal, and planetary health. Suresh also serves as a co-chair of Literature Works, a trustee of Trussell, a director of Norland College, and a member of the British Library Advisory Council. In 2022, he was made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and appointed as a Deputy Lieutenant of Somerset in 2024. Nick is an experienced senior leader in higher education with a background in organisational transformation, governance and strategic leadership within complex public sector institutions. Most recently he served as Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of Buckinghamshire New University, where he led a significant programme of institutional transformation. During his tenure the university moved from a period of financial deficit to sustained surpluses, improved its position in national league tables, expanded student numbers and achieved strong results in student satisfaction surveys. His leadership also included overseeing major estates developments and strengthening the university's external partnerships and civic engagement activities. He also served as Interim Vice-Chancellor at the University of Bradford, and is currently Interim Vice-Chancellor at Edge Hill University. Alongside his executive leadership roles Nick has held a number of governance positions across the higher education and public sectors. These have included trustee and board roles within educational charities and sector organisations, membership of Universities UK committees focused on audit, risk and resources, and leadership of collaborative initiatives such as the Buckinghamshire Health and Social Care Academy, set up to strengthen workforce development partnerships between universities and NHS organisations.