Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust

Jenny Hurst

Chief Nurse and Director of Infection, Prevention and Control

Jenny was appointed as Mersey Care's Chief Nurse in January 2025 having formerly been Deputy Director of Nursing and Director of Infection, Prevention and Control since May 2018. Prior to working at Mersey Care, Jenny was seconded from Aintree Foundation NHS Trust in April 2016 to her role as Deputy Director of Nursing at Liverpool Community Health. She transferred into Mersey Care via secondment in May 2017 as Deputy Director of Nursing, before becoming Deputy Director of Nursing and Director of Infection, Prevention and Control a year later and led the Trust through the COVID-19 pandemic. Jenny has worked in the NHS for over 30 years in various nursing leadership positions across Liverpool and joined Mersey Care from Liverpool Community Health, where her role was to support the transaction process into Mersey Care. She has a passion for making sure that care is delivered to the highest quality and patients and their families are at the centre of care. Jenny is a member of the Board's People and Quality Committees. Qualifications: RGN, BA Hons Health Studies.

Lee Taylor

Chief Delivery Officer

Lee is a registered nurse with over 30 years experience in the NHS. A large part of this time was spent in clinical and senior clinical practice. He has held a wide and varied operational portfolio in his career and has gained experience through academic positions, senior clinical roles and director positions at board level. Lee has worked in community physical health, learning disability and autism, secure mental health, children and young people and adult mental health services. When Lee joined the Trust, he spent two years as Chief Operating Officer for Specialist Learning Disabilities Division, overseeing the acquisition of those services into Mersey Care and the improvements that led to an ‘Outstanding' CQC rating. In 2018, Lee was appointed Chief Operating Officer for Community Services Division, overseeing their transition into Mersey Care. He worked with his team to ensure strong clinical governance, improvements in approaches to patient safety, improvements in performance and worked towards better care coordination and integration of physical, mental health and social care services. Lee became Director of Operations for the Trust in 2022 and led work to realign clinical divisions to support our patient pathways and strengthen clinical oversight. He is currently leading and implementing a programme of Clinical and Operational Excellence as part of the Trust's strategic goals. He has a track record of leading significant quality improvement and is passionate about patient safety and supporting staff. Lee is part of several system level meetings ensuring system flow and improved patient safety and has chaired system meetings to ensure improvements in capacity and patient flow. Lee was appointed Chief Delivery Officer in December 2024 and is a member of the Board's Quality and Resources Committees.

Rob Collins

Chief Finance Officer and Deputy Chief Executive for Non-Clinical Services

He has worked in various senior finance roles within trusts across the Cheshire and Merseyside region and took up the role of Deputy Director of Finance at the former Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust in 2013. Rob played a key role in the successful improvement journey for services at Liverpool Community Health Trust, and transferred to Mersey Care in 2018 as part of the acquisition process where he has worked as Chief Finance Officer. Rob is a member of the Board's Charitable Funds and Resources Committees. He was appointed Deputy Chief Executive for Non-Clinical Services on 1 May 2025. Qualifications, Chartered Accountant, Chartered Institute for Management Accounts.

Sean Leahy

Interim Chief People and Culture Officer

Sean was appointed as Interim Chief People Officer at Mersey Care in May 2025. He joined the NHS in 2019 in the same role, working in mental health and community services followed by a role at national level with NHS England supporting the set up of community diagnostics. Prior to joining the NHS, Sean's career was in the private sector in senior positions for large corporate organisation like British Airways and Fidelity International Investments. He brings a wealth of experience with him in People and Workforce, specifically in change and transformation of the workforce. Sean is a member of the Board's Charitable Funds and People Committees.

Steven Christian

Chief Strategy, Planning and Partnerships Officer

Steven was appointed Chief Strategy, Planning and Partnerships Officer in September 2025. He has operated at NHS Board level for seven years with a total of 18 years' worth of experience across NHS senior leadership. His previous roles include Deputy Chief Executive Officer/Chief Operating Officer/Executive Director of Strategy for Blackpool Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Deputy Chief Executive Officer/ Chief Operating Officer for Southport and Ormskirk Hospitals NHS Trust. During his career, Steven has led several large-scale transformation programmes for clinical services and has developed a track record in delivering performance improvements across key services including urgent and emergency care. Steven is a member of the Board's Resources Committee.