East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust

Andrew Strevens

Chief Finance Officer

Andrew was appointed Chief Finance Officer (CFO) in June 2025 and brings a wealth of experience of working in the private sector and within the NHS. His previous roles include being the Interim CEO (2022-2024) and CFO (2015-2022) of Solent NHS Trust, leading it into the newly established Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. He has also worked in strategic commissioning, being the Head of Finance for NHS England South Region (2013-2015). He strongly believes that creating a great place to work results in great care and great value for money.

Charlotte O'Brien

Chief Operating Officer

Charlotte joined the trust as Director of Transformation and Improvement in 2022 before moving into her current role. She was previously Director of Strategic Partnerships at Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. Charlotte started her career as a cardiac nurse in London and has more than 20 years of management experience working in senior operational and service transformation roles across primary, secondary and tertiary care. Charlotte has also worked for NHS England and NHS Improvement as a member of the South East regional oversight and assurance team.

Richard Milner

Chief of Staff

Richard has over 20 years of leadership experience at Board level in the NHS that has included executive and deputy chief executive roles covering commissioning, community, mental health and the acute sector, predominantly in London. He joined ESHT in 2020. His functional experience covers strategy, service improvement and latterly organisational governance. Prior to joining the NHS, Richard worked for a US-based management consultant and was an elected member in a London borough. His time in these roles supports us working across organisational boundaries and sectors to improve care outcomes. Richard describes his role at ESHT as “poetry, prose and plumbing”. The former two capture his responsibilities for internal communications and external relationships/stakeholder engagement and patient experience. The latter covers his leadership of corporate and information governance, legal services and our risk management function.

Simon Merritt

Chief Medical Officer - Consultant - Respiratory Physician and Sleep Specialist

Simon is a Consultant in Respiratory, General and Sleep Medicine at Conquest Hospital and is Chief Medical Officer. He trained at United Medical and Dental School of Guy’s and St Thomas’s Hospitals, London gaining a BSc in Psychology, before graduating with Honours in 2000. After completing his general medical training in East London, he undertook specialist training at the Kent and Sussex, Lewisham, St. Thomas’ and Conquest Hospitals. Simon joined the trust in July 2009 as a consultant; he has set up a respiratory failure and home Non Invasive Ventilation service. He has also led the sleep service for a number of years. Over the last eight years he has held a range of clinical leadership posts – clinical unit lead for specialist medicine, and then Chief of Medicine prior to becoming Chief Medical Officer in September 2022. Respiratory Medicine – Asthma, COPD, Pulmonary Fibrosis, Pulmonary Embolism, Pleural effusion, Chronic cough, Bronchiectasis, Non Invasive Ventilation, Neuromuscular weakness with respiratory failure, Pleural Disease and Bronchoscopy. Sleep Medicine – Insomnia, Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA), Obesity Hypoventilation (OHS), Narcolepsy, Idiopathic Hypersomnolence, REM Behaviour Disorder, Restless Leg Syndrome, and Sleep Walking.

Steve Aumayer

Deputy Chief Executive and Chief People Officer

Steve is an experienced Director who, after starting his career as a Royal Naval Officer, has held a number of senior leadership roles in Healthcare and other sectors. His healthcare experience includes Executive Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development at University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, Executive Director of Organisational Development and Strategic Human Resources at Hamad Medical Corporation, the public healthcare provider for the 2.5 million residents in Qatar, Group HR Director Optegra Eye Care and most recently running his own consultancy firm focused on supporting healthcare organisations, Teyr Consulting. Prior to moving into healthcare, Steve held a number of senior leaderships posts in companies including Hay Management Consultants, Deloitte, Orange UK and COLT Telecom. Steve has also undertaken various Non-Executive Director roles, including at Avon Partnership for Occupational Health and Skills for Health. In his role as deputy CEO, Steve’s portfolio includes Digital and performance assurance. He Joined the Trust in 2021.

Vikki Carruth

Chief Nurse and Director of Infection Prevention and Control

Born in Ireland, Vikki qualified as a registered nurse in the UK undertaking a number of post graduate studies at Universities in Surrey, Brighton and London. She has worked in the NHS since 1989, holding a variety of senior leadership posts at Deputy and Director level in a number of trusts in London, Kent, Surrey and Sussex. Vikki lives in Sussex and joined ESHT in 2017. She is passionate about ensuring that the care that patients receive is the very best it can be and that staff have the right training, leadership and support to deliver this to every patient, every time. She has a clinical background in acute medicine and has a particular interest in governance, mental health, the care of vulnerable patients and those with more complex needs. She is the professional lead for nursing, midwifery and Allied Health Professionals and amongst other things her portfolio also includes the role of Director for Infection Prevention and Control (DIPC).

Ama Agbeze

Associate Non-executive Director

A large part of Ama’s career has been spent as a professional athlete culminating in captaining Team England to netball gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. She was recently a board member for the 2022 Games in Birmingham before joining ESHT in 2024. Alongside sport, Ama has worked as a lawyer in a variety of disciplines including family, corporate, charity and banking. As an ambassador and trustee for a number of charities Ama has a focus on the benefits of physical activity on health outcomes, using sport to help realise potential, and children and young people. She regularly speaks and advocates for diversity and inclusion, improving life opportunities in areas of deprivation, cultural development and organisational change, leadership and mental health.

Amanda Fadero

Non-Executive Director

Amanda had an extensive and varied career in the NHS for over 40 years. She held a number of senior executive roles in the NHS working as Chief Executive of NHS Sussex, Area Director for NHS England for Surrey and Sussex and as Deputy/Interim Chief Executive at a large University Hospital Trusts before joining ESHT in 2020. During her career she gained valuable experience in developing partnerships and integrating communities, managing complexity, using problem solving and conflict resolution to progress and manage change. Since leaving her full time career in the NHS, Amanda has developed a career portfolio that includes two Non-Executive roles on NHS Trust boards, a CEO of St Barnabas and Chestnut Tree hospices alongside supporting complex change programmes as a consultant.

Amber Lee

Associate Non-Executive Director

Amber joined the trust as an Associate Non-Executive Director in 2024 after a long career in clinical research, working within large pharma and during the last 20 years in the Clinical Research Organisation sector. She started her career as a nurse and moved through project and process management, quality assurance and people leadership, finishing her industry career as head of global clinical operations for PPD, part of Thermo Fisher Scientific. Amber has lived in many areas of the UK and settled in Hastings three years ago.

Carys Williams

Non-Executive Director

Carys is a portfolio Non-Executive Director and currently an independent lay member of the House of Commons Committee on Standards, the Welsh Government Board, Premiership Rugby’s Sporting Commission and the Independent Betting Adjudication Service (IBAS). She is also chair of Age UK East Sussex. The majority of her professional career has been spent as a senior executive in financial services working for the Financial Ombudsman Service and Lloyds Banking Group. Carys joined the Trust in 2019.

Frank Sims

Non-executive Director

Frank lives in Seaford and has spent over 30 years in the NHS, including working as a Chief Executive for acute and community providers as well as NHS commissioners. He is driven by a desire to improve care and the experience for patients. Frank has worked in the social enterprise movement and discovered the importance of including staff in all decision-making. Most recently he has moved into the charity sector, with a focus on mental health, both as a CEO and Trustee. He joined ESHT in 2022.

Paresh Patel

Non-Executive Director

Paresh brings over 20 years of experience in healthcare leadership and management to his role as a Non-Executive Director at the trust. Before joining the Board, Paresh served in various executive roles within private healthcare organisations, including as CEO. His diverse background encompasses expertise in quality improvement, patient safety, financial management, and stakeholder engagement. Paresh is passionate about driving positive change within the NHS, with a particular focus on improving patient outcomes, promoting staff well-being, and ensuring the effective use of resources. He is committed to fostering a culture of transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement within the organisation. Paresh joined ESHT in 2019.

Spencer Prosser

Non-Executive Director

Spencer Joined the Trust in 2025, bringing a wealth of experience to the role of Non-Executive Director. He has been a Chief Finance Officer at a number of high profile providers including Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, and as the Regional Finance Director at NHS Improvement for the South region. He also previously acted as the finance lead for a large Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP) and has an extensive understanding of governance and legal compliance.