Shepton Mallet Community HospitalBA4 4PGNon inpatient
The ExchangeTA6 4RRNon inpatient
Wellington And District Cottage HospitalTA21 8QQNon inpatient
Yeovil Medical RecordsBA22 8RPNon inpatient
Other Reportable SitesTA6 4RNOther Reportable Site
18 people recorded
Chair
Dr Rima Makarem
Chair
Dr Rima Makarem joined the trust on January 1 2025 as our new Chair. Rima has extensive experience of working at Board level in the NHS and has worked at both regional and national level. She has been the chair of the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board since 2020. She is also chair of the Sue Ryder charity, chair of Queen Square Enterprises Ltd (an independent healthcare provider based in London), a lay council member for the General Pharmaceutical Council, and a trustee of LifeArc. Rima trained as a scientist and has held senior roles within the global pharmaceutical industry. Other senior roles she has held include senior independent director and audit chair of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and audit chair and external commissioner at the House of Commons Commission, working closely with the Speaker and the Leader of the House.
Peter was the chief executive of both Somerset NHS Foundation Trust and Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust before the trusts merged in April 2023. Peter joined one of our predecessor trusts, Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust which ran Musgrove Park Hospital, in 2005 as director of finance and performance. He then became deputy chief executive in 2008 and took on the responsibility of chief operating officer in 2010. Before Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust and Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust merged in April 2020, Peter became chief executive of both organisations in November 2017. Prior to joining Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, Peter was director of performance at Dorset and Somerset Strategic Health Authority, and also worked in both commissioning and provider organisations in Somerset prior to that. Peter is also a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.
Andy was one of two chief operating officers for Somerset NHS Foundation Trust and Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust before the trusts merged in April 2023 and is now the single chief operating officer and deputy chief executive for our trust. Andy joined the NHS in Somerset in 2014 when he joined Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust as chief operating officer. Having originally qualified as an occupational therapist, he worked in a number of clinical roles within mental health across the south west before moving into leadership roles during the 1990s. Andy played a role in the establishment of a new specialist NHS mental health trust serving the Avon and Wiltshire areas and became the general manager of mental health services for seven years up to 2006. Following this, Andy gained a broad range of experience in London and the south west in senior commissioning and provider roles in the NHS, and also in social care, with most of his work being focused on service modernisation. Andy maintains a strong interest in care pathway redesign and service transformation and in recent years has taken on a number of system leadership roles within Somerset, centred on improving patient flow and working with partners in the development of successful community alternatives to hospital admission. Andy was the joint senior responsible officer for the Somerset COVID-19 Vaccination Programme.
David Shannon
Director of Strategy and Digital Development
David was previously the director of strategy and digital development for both Somerset NHS Foundation Trust and Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust before the trusts merged in April 2023. David first joined Musgrove Park Hospital in 2016 as director of finance and went on to become the director of strategic development and improvement for both Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust and Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust before the two trusts merged in 2020. David was previously director of operational finance at North Bristol NHS Trust from June 2014. Before that he spent six years at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, most of them as assistant director of finance. He originally joined the NHS in 1998 on its graduate financial management training scheme.
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Dr Melanie Iles
Chief Medical Officer
Isobel Clements
Chief of People and Organisational Development
Isobel was previously the chief of people and organisational development at both Somerset NHS Foundation Trust and Yeovil District Hospital, NHS Foundation Trust before the trusts merged in April 2023. Isobel started her career at Musgrove Park Hospital in 1988 and held several senior human resources and organisational development management roles, including at associate and deputy level, until she was appointed director of people and organisational development in 2018 for both Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust and Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust before the two trusts merged. Isobel has played a key role in developing the trust’s system of distributed leadership, ensuring that the organisation’s values are brought to life in everyday behaviour. Isobel is a fellow member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).
Jade Renville
Director of Corporate Services
Jade is our Director of Corporate Services, a role she does jointly with the Somerset Integrated Care Board with the aim of fostering collaborative working across the health system in Somerset. She has extensive experience within the NHS and the field of corporate governance, beginning her career in commissioning, then moving into senior company secretarial and governance roles within the NHS provider trust sector, working at both Yeovil District Hospital and Musgrove Park Hospital prior to merger of these organisations. For Somerset NHS Foundation Trust she has responsibility for corporate governance and the Board secretariat, legal services, emergency preparedness, resilience, and response (EPRR), business continuity, and security. She is also the Accountable Emergency Officer (AEO). In her free time, she is Chair of the Board of Trustees of a Multi-Academy Trust within the education sector.
Pippa Moger
Chief Finance Officer
Pippa was previously the chief finance officer for both Somerset NHS Foundation Trust and Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust before the trusts merged in April 2023. Pippa has over 20 years of experience in NHS finance and over thirteen years at deputy and director level. She has worked across regulator, commissioning and provider sectors and has a broad perspective on NHS finances. Pippa joined Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust in June 2013 as director of finance and business development. She was then appointed as director of finance for Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust and Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust in October 2017 before the two trusts merged in 2020. Pippa believes NHS resources must be used in the most efficient and effective way while ensuring patient safety is not compromised. Pippa is a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).
Professor Deirdre Fowler
Chief Nursing Officer
Deirdre is a registered nurse with over 40 years of experience, including 30 years as a Midwife. She has had a varied career nationally in many senior professional leadership roles, and she has served as an Executive Chief Nurse for more than 13 years. In addition to her clinical leadership, Deirdre spent eight years in academia which further deepened her commitment to education and clinical excellence and is also a firm advocate for continuous quality improvement. Most recently, she held the position of Chief Nurse and Midwife at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, a role she fulfilled until August 2025. Since relocating to the South West in 2021, Deirdre has continued to serve the region in her current role at Somerset NHS Foundation Trust. She is passionate about inclusive clinical workforce development and is dedicated to strengthening clinical leadership at all levels. Deirdre is also a strong advocate for personalised, holistic care that truly meets the needs of individuals and communities. In addition to her NHS leadership roles, she is a visiting professor at the University of the West of England (UWE), where she continues to contribute to the advancement of Nursing and Midwifery education.
Following a degree and PhD in chemistry at Oxford University (where he used A.I. to design anti-cancer drugs), Alex started his career promoting apprentice partnerships as chief executive of an educational charity in London. In January 2016, he jumped from a successful career in intellectual property law to become chief executive of Mind (the mental health charity) in his home county of Somerset, where he now farms with his young family. Alex also holds various trusteeships and directorships in the property, education and third sectors. Alex was previously also a non-executive director at Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust prior to the merger of the trusts in April 2023.
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Darshan Chandarana
Non-Executive Director
Graham Hughes
Non-Executive Director
Graham has over 40 years of experience in the financial and legal sectors and was previously an executive director of Bank and Clients PLC. Prior to this, in his capacity as managing partner and latterly chairman, he developed a legal practice to a multi office large employer. He has a deep understanding of commercial and risk management within the financial sector together with a thorough knowledge of the core strategic principles of heavily regulated and competitive sectors. He has also been involved in change management, developing policies for large and complex organisations including whistle blowing, IT security and data protection and people policies. Graham joined the Trust Board of Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in April 2018 and subsequently joined the Trust Board of the merged trust in April 2023.
Inga Kennedy
Non-Executive Director
Inga has spent a large part of her career working in the NHS in a range of nursing, midwifery and education roles, but also has extensive experience working in senior roles in the Royal Navy. Inga was appointed Inspector General of the Defence Medical Services where she designed and implemented a new healthcare governance framework. Subsequently she took on the role of Head of the Medical Service and Medical Director General for the Royal Navy. Inga is a trustee of the White Ensign Association, which provides independent advice to all serving and former members of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Royal Fleet Auxiliary, and their families. Inga is currently a non-executive director for the Isle of Wight NHS Trust and the Portsmouth Hospital University NHS Trust and is a director of a private healthcare consultancy providing healthcare advice and reasonable challenge to executive teams with the aim of delivering enhanced governance and assurance.
Owen Woodley
Non-Executive Director
Owen became a professional artist in 2024 after having spent nearly four decades in the finance and retail sectors. He started work at Barclays where he spent 20 years, both in the UK and also across sub-Saharan Africa. Following the financial crisis, he raised funding to establish a new bank in the UK, Shawbrook, where he was the first CEO. In 2012, Owen went to Lloyds to run the retail bank and he finished his career at the Post Office group, primarily running the subsidiary commercial businesses. As part of that role, he chaired the board of First Rate Exchange Services, the largest consumer currency business in the UK, and also the board of the payments company, Payzone. He is passionate about Higher Education and spent 9 years on the board of Nottingham Trent University from 2014 to 2023. He joined the governing Council of the University of Leicester in March 2026 where he also chairs the Audit Committee. Owen now splits his time between his art projects and his non-executive board roles.
Paul Mapson
Non-Executive Director
After a career spanning 41 years in the NHS, including 17 years as Director of Finance and Information at University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, Paul retired in June 2019. He became a non-executive director of Yeovil Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in March 2020 and joined the Trust Board of the merged trust in April 2023.
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Professor Olena Doran
Non-Executive Director
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Rosie Benneyworth
Non-Executive Director
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Tom Frederick
Associate Non-Executive Director
Photographs are shown from the organisation’s own website.
