The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust

Adam Thomas

Group chief strategy and digital officer

Adam rejoined the Trust in 2009 and brings more than 15 years of NHS experience in clinical and senior management positions to his executive role. A graduate of Aston University, Adam qualified as a pharmacist and proceeded to undertake postgraduate qualifications in clinical pharmacy, independent prescribing and digital healthcare leadership. He worked in medical oncology at The Dudley Group and brings a special clinical interest in improving cancer outcomes for the Black Country. He is also a registered IT professional, holding a Fellowship of the British Chartered Institute for IT professionals. continue reading

Chris Walker

Director of finance

Chris Walker joined the Trust in 2009 as deputy director of finance and we are happy to announce that he joins the board as interim director of finance, bringing with him over 30 years of experience working within the NHS. Chris was born and educated in Dudley and continues to live local. Chris began his career as a trainee accountant in 1992 with the West Midlands Regional Health Authority based in Birmingham. Chris’s first substantive role was with South Birmingham Health Authority and then in 1994, after Trust’s were first established, went to work for Southern Birmingham Community Health NHS Trust as a financial accountant based at West Heath Hospital in Birmingham. continue reading

Dr James Fleet

Group chief people officer

Each Trust retains its own site‑based executive leadership, ensuring strong local accountability.

Dr Mark Anderson

Group Chief Medical Officer

Mark previously served as one of our Deputy Medical Directors who was the responsible officer for medical professional standards and revalidation. Graduating from the University of Cambridge Medical School in 1994, Mark obtained his PhD from the University of Birmingham in 2005 following work on growth factor receptors in oesophageal cancer. He has been a consultant gastroenterologist with the Trust since 2006, having served as clinical lead for the endoscopy units, lead for the Upper GI cancer service and clinical director for scheduled care and long-term conditions within the Medicine and Emergency Care Group. continue reading

Jack Richards

Chief operating officer

Jack joined the Trust in 2020 from University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust. A registered nurse by background, he qualified with a Bachelor of Nursing from the University of Birmingham in 2008 and has since held a range of senior nursing and operational leadership roles across Birmingham and Dudley. He holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Wolverhampton (2022), has completed the NHS Leadership Academy Executive Director Pathway, and is a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute. Jack was appointed Deputy Chief Operating Officer in 2024 and became Interim Chief Operating Officer in March 2026, joining the Executive Team. He brings a strong track record of operational delivery, transformation, and system leadership.

Jonathan Odum

Group chief medical officer

Dr Odum qualified from Birmingham University in 1984, and his postgraduate training was undertaken in the West Midlands (1984-1991) and Adelaide, South Australia (1991-1993). He was awarded a Sheldon Research Fellowship by the West Midlands Regional Health Authority in 1988, and following completion of his research, his thesis was awarded an MD by the University of Birmingham in 1993. With the formalisation of the group structure between The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust and Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, Dr Odum has been appointed Group Chief Medical Officer for a period of 6 months. continue reading

Karen Kelly

Fit for the Future – Chief Officer

A graduate of Keele University, Karen qualified as a nurse in 1993 and worked for more than 23 years at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire where she held a variety of roles including the first matron role for Urgent and Emergency Care before moving into managing the Directorate of Emergency Care. Prior to joining us as a COO Karen has been involved in overseeing a range of large scale service developments and improvement projects. She became part of the transformation team tasked with turning around Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust – becoming head of nursing there in 2010. Following this, she held the post of medical nurse director, followed by deputy director of operations at The Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospital Trust. Karen is passionate about leadership development and working alongside people to promote quality of care being delivered that ensures our patients are safe.

Kat Rose

Group Chief Community and Partnership Officer

Kat joined the Trust in April 2022, bringing with her more than 15 years of NHS experience in programme management, strategy implementation and delivering healthcare transformation. Before joining the Trust, Kat held the role of programme director at Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care, working on several million-pound projects. Prior to that she was associate director of strategy and planning at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust where she worked closely with system partners and managed the strategy, PMO, improvement and planning teams. continue reading

Laura Broster

Group chief communications officer

Laura Broster joined in June 2025 as Group Director of Communications for Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust and The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust. continue reading

Marsha Jones

Director of nursing

Experienced nurse of over 30 years, having worked in acute and community trusts at a senior nurse level. Has strengths working across boundaries and with patients as partners, leading multidisciplinary teams with compassion to achieve improvements for patients. Significant achievements in delivery of improvements across clinical governance and quality and nursing workforce. Most recently non-medical clinical lead in the mobilisation into a new hospital.

Mel Roberts

Group Chief Nursing Officer

Mel joined the Trust in December 2018, as Director of Operations for Primary Care, Community and Therapy services before becoming the Deputy Chief Operating Officer/Acting Chief Operating Officer and then Chief Nurse in January 2021. Mel was appointed as Group Chief Nursing Officer in December 2025. She is an accomplished NHS Senior Leader with a successful track record of delivering and transforming services that provide high quality patient care across acute, community and mental health settings. continue reading

Paul Hudson

Medical director

Paul qualified from the University of Birmingham in 1997 and has a long history at the Trust, firstly as a Medical Student, returning as an SHO, SpR before taking up his Consultant Anaesthetist post in 2009. Following a range of clinical leadership posts Paul became Deputy Medical Director in 2018 before a further promotion to Operational Medical Director in 2022 and appointment as Medical Director in 2026. With a strong operational understanding and belief in visible leadership, Paul was instrumental in the Trust's response to the COVID-19 pandemic taking on the Senior Responsible Officer role. He has led a series of complex projects on behalf of the board recently. Regionally Paul has held a number of posts for NHSE regionally including Virtual Ward Clinical Lead and Expert by Experience for Job Planning and has spoken widely on the Trust's Job Planning journey.

Rachel Barlow

Deputy Chief Executive Officer & Group Chief Development Officer (non-voting member)

Rachel Barlow is the Group Chief Development Officer at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust and The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust She led a significant transformation programme which opened the Midland Met in Autumn 2024. The hospital is one of the largest to open in England in the last 10 years and is part of the government’s New Hospital Programme and major projects portfolio. continue reading

Catherine Holland

Non-executive director

Catherine is an associate consultant with ‘ Amara Collaboration ’, a contributing author to’ Street Smart Awareness’ and ‘Inquiry in Action ’; and co-designer and facilitator in transformational leadership development retreats. A former social worker and trainer and assistant director in social services, Catherine worked for 14 years in the Probation Service, first as a director for corporate services and later as chief executive of Staffordshire and West Midlands Probation Trust, the second largest probation trust in the UK. Catherine designed and led West Midlands Probation through a successful performance and culture turn-around programme, and project managed the merger with Staffordshire Probation, the new Trust going on to be recognised for excellence and awarded four stars by the British Quality Foundation. Catherine led SWM Probation Trust through extensive and challenging changes brought about by the Government’s Transforming Rehabilitation programme, becoming chief executive of Staffordshire and West Midlands CRC, and later the newly formed Reducing Reoffending Partnership.

Dr Mohit Mandiratta

Non-executive director

Dr Mohit Madiratta qualified as a GP through the Dudley VTS scheme in 2013. He has spent the last 10 years working at Feldon Practice in Halesowen, where he enjoys the role and responsibility as a GP partner. His role in primary care has allowed him to gain invaluable insight into the health needs of local people and this has been furthered by his involvement in healthcare commissioning (in CCGs and the ICB) since 2016. Mohit enjoys educating our future doctors as a GP trainer and he also supports a national ‘Rebuild General Practice’ campaign where he has spoken to MPs in Westminster highlighting the issues which primary care currently face. continue reading

Gary Crowe

Non-executive director and deputy chair [Dudley]

Gary was most recently a university professor of Innovation Leadership at Keele University Management School. He previously held senior commercial positions in strategy, business transformation and risk & financial management as a director and management consultant in the financial services sector. continue reading

Jatinder Sharma

Associate Non-executive director

A qualified accountant and highly experienced leader, Midlands-born Jatinder Sharma is principal and chief executive of Walsall College, having previously held a number of senior positions in both private and public sectors. Jatinder is a passionate champion of the vital role that skills and training play in the development of the West Midlands economy and the ongoing regeneration of Walsall and the Black Country. He is a board member of the Association of Colleges and is a member of the Walsall Proud Partnership. He also represents further education on the Department for Education (DfE) Principals’ Reference Group. Jatinder was awarded a CBE in 2023 New Year Honours for his services to Further Education.

Lorraine Harper

Associate Non-executive director

Lorraine Harper joined the Trust in January 2023, bringing a wealth of research experience to the Trust. Currently Professor of Nephrology at University of Birmingham, she has focussed on the management of patients with inflammatory kidney disease at University Hospitals Birmingham. She has helped support the development of a regional network of nephrologists and rheumatologists to support best practice in the management of vasculitis. Lorraine has published over 100 research papers in scientific journals as well as reviews and book chapters in the fields of inflammation and nephrology. She was recently appointed as Birmingham Health Partners Research and Health Innovation Director to help bring the benefits of research rapidly to patient.

Lowell Williams

Non-executive director

Lowell was the chief executive officer of Dudley College of Technology from 2008-2019 and led the college to an Ofsted Outstanding rating in the 2017 inspection. In January 2018, he was named as one of seven appointments to the government’s advisory group, the National Leaders of Further Education, which is made up of principals from colleges who have been rated good or outstanding. continue reading

Mick Laverty

Non-executive director

Mick is a chartered accountant and experienced chief executive. Mick is currently chief executive of the ExtraCare Charitable Trust, a charity that builds and runs the UK’s largest retirement villages. continue reading

Mike Hallissey

Associate Non-executive director

Mike currently works for University Hospitals Birmingham holding the position of Medical Director, Director of Education and Consultant in General Surgery. Mike began his career in 1992 where he held the position of a senior lecturer at the University of Birmingham. In 1996 her gained his consultants position for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Surgical Oncology where he focused on Breast and more recently upper gastrointestinal cancers. He helped support the development of a regional service in Angiosarcoma as well still supporting the breast services clinically. He has been a member of several committee’s and was a member and the president of the British Association of Surgical Oncology and served as the chair of the Cancer Service Committee for the Royal College of Surgeons of England. He has supported the Trial Management Committee and has been involved with two major cancer trials.

Peter Featherstone

Non-executive director

Peter is a pharmacist by background and an experienced non-executive director, who has previously held senior leadership positions across NHS bodies and local government authorities in transformation, service efficiency, service improvement, and corporate governance. continue reading

Rachel Hardy

Associate Non-executive director

Rachel has over 35 years’ experience within the NHS where she has held senior positions within the organisation. She has board level experience leading strategic change, financial and change management in complex health businesses at an organisational, regional, and national level. She worked on a commissioning system for one of four regions in NHS England for six years. Prior to that Rachel worked across the Birmingham and Solihull Health System, developing a financial approach to accelerating clinical strategy with seven health providers, two local authorities and GPs across the city. In 2019 she has been successful in developing a business specialising in developing financial strategy in complex systems, development and coaching for senior directors individually and in teams, teaching and developing academic and research work with the HFMA. The Values learnt whilst working for the NHS are now adopted in her business, her passion which has driven her career is improving health for people.

Val Taylor

Associate Non-executive director

Having 15 years leadership experience in organisational development, HR, Governance and policy development at Director level. Val currently is working as a Director of Corporate Services where she is advising on HR response functions. She also leads on and co-ordinates on all activities to do with governance within the organisation. She has been successful in securing an ‘investing in people’ kite mark. Val is also a governor at a local academy trust school that was placed in special measures. She was appointed to this position to support the leadership team to improve the school levels of attainment. Her experience in leadership and organisational change management, which is a key requirement to progress the performance of the school. Since being in this post Val has seen a significant rise in the school’s attainment levels across the board.

Vij Randeniya

Non-executive director

Vij is an experienced non-executive director within the health service. He is deputy chairman of Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust and sits on the governing body of Aston University. Vij is a trustee of the Royal Society for Public Health and former chief fire officer for West Midlands Fire Service. Vij has substantial experience of large-scale project management, leadership and change management. continue reading