The Board meet every month, click here for details. Please note, the Trust’s overall leadership structure can be viewed here: https://www.dbth.nhs.uk/structure-charts/
Executive Directors
Richard Parker OBE, Chief Executive
His previous role was Director of Nursing, Midwifery & Quality. Richard began his career as a student nurse, qualifying in 1985. Richard was appointed Deputy Chief Nurse at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals in 2005, Deputy Chief Operating Officer in 2010 and then Chief Operating Officer in 2013. He held that position until joining us in October 2013 and became Chief Executive in January 2017.
Richard has a special interest in ways of ensuring that nurse staffing levels are safe, appropriate and provide high-quality patient care. He gained a MBA (Health and Social Services) in 1997 from Leeds University and the Nuffield Institute for Health and his dissertation was on acuity, patient dependency and safe staffing levels.
Denise Smith, Chief Operating Officer
Originally from York, Denise joined the NHS over 25 years ago, starting in operational management in Women & Children services. She has worked across primary and secondary care, in both commissioner and provider organisations and, since 2009, Denise has worked in operational leadership positions in a number of Acute Trusts across the country.
Most recently Denise was the Chief Operating Officer at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King’s Lynn, a position she held from May 2019. Denise joined DBTH in January 2023.
Karen Jessop, Chief Nurse
Karen was previously the Deputy Chief Nurse at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals (STH), a position she held between October 2017 and January 2023.
Qualifying as a Registered Nurse over 25 years ago, Karen joined Hull University Hospitals in 1995 where she spent the next two decades, holding a variety of roles within critical care and surgery. Karen eventually progressed to become a Matron and a Divisional Nurse Manager, also qualifying as a Registered Midwife and completing a Master’s Degree in Health Care Leadership with the University of Birmingham. Karen joined DBTH in January 2023.
Dr Tim Noble, Executive Medical Director
Tim, who qualified from St Bartholomew’s Hospital Medical School in London in 1989, was born and raised in York. After five years of medical training, he practised in a number of hospitals in the south of England.
In 1995, Dr Noble returned to the North of England and completed a research project at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, qualifying as a specialist in respiratory medicine in 2002. A move to Barnsley Hospital followed in 2003 before starting his career at DBTH in 2006 as a Consultant Respiratory Physician. From 2010 to 2017, the Doncaster resident oversaw the hospitals’ respiratory medicine service, as well as undertaking two Clinical Director posts, before becoming Deputy Medical Director in 2017.
Dr Tim Noble was appointed Executive Medical Director of Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals in 2020.
Zara Jones, Deputy Chief Executive
Previous to her appointment at DBTH, Zara served as the Executive Director of Strategy and Planning at Derbyshire Integrated Care Board (ICB), where she, along with partners in the region, oversaw a diverse portfolio of work which encompasses services areas including acute care, mental health, primary and community care and includes responsibility from commissioning, performance and strategy development perspectives.
Throughout her career, Zara has developed expertise in a number of areas such as strategy, performance management, and commissioning. As an alumnus of the NHS Graduate Management Scheme, Zara has also undertaken senior roles at prominent NHS organisations including Sherwood Forest Hospitals, Nottingham University Hospitals and The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust.
Jon Sargeant, Executive Director of Recovery, Innovation and Transformation and Chief Financial Officer
Jon was previously Director of Finance at Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and has over 25 years of experience, working exclusively in the health service.
Starting as a Financial Trainee at Heartlands Hospital in 1989, Jon has held a number of board level posts, most notably as Director of Finance at Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals, leading a number of reconfiguration projects at the London-based Trust, before moving to Burton Hospitals in 2013.
Jon joined Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals in November 2016 as Director of Finance, leading this service for five years before being named as Executive Director for Recovery, Innovation and Transformation in a secondment capacity for 18 months. The services which have come together to form this new directorate, and are key in supporting and enabling the improvements envisioned, are Strategy and Improvement, Digital Transformation, Information and Informatics, and the Performance Management Office. Together, the team will focus upon enhancing and developing services and systems across the organisation as the Trust emerges from the challenges of COVID-19, ultimately in an bid to improve patient care and treatment.
Since 2023, Jon has resumed his oversight of Finance and Infrastructure, in addition to his responsibilities for Recovery, Innovation and Transformation as well as duties as Chief Financial Officer.
Zoe Lintin, Chief People Officer
A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), Zoe joined DBTH as Chief People Officer in June 2022. Zoe was formerly the Director of Human Resources (HR) and Organisational Development (OD) at Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, where she held an executive role from 2016 to departure.
Passionate about creating the best possible workplace environment for colleagues, with an acute understanding of the direct impact this has on the delivery of high quality healthcare, Zoe is also the Deputy Vice President of the Yorkshire and Humber branch of the Healthcare People Management Association (HPMA). She is a qualified coach, accredited mediator and trained in the use of psychometric testing and 360-degree feedback.
Zoe’s earlier career included working in a range of HR, OD and learning and development roles in the private and legal sectors and she began her NHS career working at Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust in 2006. She has also been a Trustee, in a voluntary capacity, on the Board of a South Yorkshire schools academy trust since 2019.
Non-Executive Directors
Suzy Brain England OBE C Dir, Chair of the Board.
Suzy is an experienced board chair, non-executive director, consultant, mentor and counsellor. Suzy is currently the Chair of Derwent Living Housing Association, Chair and Trustee of Keep Britain Tidy, Lay Representative for Health Education England’s doctor training and recruitment in Yorkshire, a member of the Institute of Directors’ Accreditation and Standards Committee, and founder of Cloud Talking mentoring services.
Suzy has a wealth of experience in chairing and serving on boards in a variety of sectors including health, housing, enterprise and finance. She is a former Chair of Kirklees Community Healthcare Services and was a Non-executive Director at Barnsley Hospitals NHS Trust. She was awarded an OBE for her work as Chair of the Department of Work and Pensions Decision Making Standards Committee. Suzy began her career as a journalist and in her executive roles she has been CEO of The Talent Foundation, the Earth Centre in South Yorkshire and a Director in the Central London Training and Enterprise Council.
Kath Smart, Non-executive Director.
A Doncaster resident, Kath has an extensive background in the public sector, working within the NHS for over a decade as a commissioner in Doncaster, Wakefield and Hull, covering a variety of roles from risk management to governance and external inspections.
As a Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) qualified accountant, Kath has most recently worked with Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH) as a Non-Executive Director, as well as Chair of the organisation’s Audit Committee and social enterprise, Flourish Enterprises.
Dr Emyr Wyn Jones, Non-executive Director.
Dr Jones qualified in Medicine in 1973. He joined what was then Doncaster Royal and Mexborough Hospital NHS Trust in 1986, beginning a 24 year tenure as a Consultant General Physician with an interest in Diabetes and Endocrinology. He wrote the textbook ‘An Illustrated Guide to the Diabetic Clinic’, which was published by Blackwell Science in June 1998 and has been reprinted and translated in several countries.
Following a period as Clinical Director of Medicine at the organisation, Dr Jones was appointed Medical Director in 1998, as well as Deputy Chief Executive in 2004, positions he held until his retirement in 2010. Since that time, the Bessacarr resident has held a number of national leadership roles including Medical Advisor to the National Audit Office and Clinical Leader for the Summary Care Records Programme at NHS Digital. Dr Jones was also Secondary Care Doctor Member for NHS Doncaster Clinical Commissioning Group from 2015 to its dissolution in 2022.
Mark Bailey, Non-executive Director.
Mark, a former Group Director for Customers and Services at Rolls-Royce plc, joined the Trust in February 2020 and has an extensive background in the private sector having spent over 30 years with the world-renowned engineering company. Originally from Armthorpe in Doncaster, Mark now lives with his family in Ashbourne at the edge of the Peak District in Derbyshire.
Initially trained as an engineer, Mark has extensive experience of operating at senior leadership and board level environments while nurturing a specialist interest in strategic development, business growth and customer service transformation. He has also led the introduction of innovative digital solutions throughout his career, something which is a particular focus for the Trust as it looks to further modernise how clinicians use technology to support patient care.
Mark Day, Non-executive Director.
Mark Day is a Chartered Director with executive experience including NHS finance director roles, as well as being the Chief Operating Officer for a £2.5bn national property company.
He now lives in North Yorkshire but is very familiar with the local area having worked for the former Doncaster Health Authority for five years. His current roles include healthcare business consultant and being an independent lay member of Cornwall Council’s Audit Committee.
As part of his work with the Trust, Mark has been appointed Senior Independent Director, and will Chair the organisation’s People Committee (which looks at the development of Trust’s HR, recruitment and retention plans).
Hazel Brand, Non-executive Director.
Hazel Brand, formerly DBTH’s Lead Governor and Head of Communications. Initially trained as an Occupational Therapist, Hazel worked in and around London in health and social care before moving into the world of health journalism with roles at the Health Service Journal (HSJ) and British Journal of Healthcare Computing. Following a period at the Institute of Health Services Management, Hazel joined what was then Doncaster and Montagu Hospitals as Communications Managers where she stayed for almost 20 years, supporting throughout major organisational changes. Retiring in 2012, Hazel stood as Governor, and served a maximum term of nine years, the last three as Lead Governor.
In addition to her work as a member of Bassetlaw District Council, Hazel services as Non-Executive Director for Freedom to Speak Up and serves on the Quality and Effectiveness, People, and Charitable Funds committees.
Joanne Gander, Clinical Non-executive Director.
Joanne Gander is a Registered General nurse with most recent executive experience working as Clinical and Product Assurance Director for Supply Chain Co-ordination Limited, the management function of NHS Supply Chain. Previously, Jo worked in the pharmaceutical and medical device industry for around 25 years before returning to the NHS in 2008 as Commissioning Group Director within North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus and also has held senior roles within the Digital Team at NHS England.
As Clinical Non-Executive Director, Jo is Chair of the Quality and Effectiveness Committee and attends several other sub committees of the board. Jo’s passion is Patient and Health and Care Professional Safety and making a difference by ensuring patients and their families have the best experience of care possible.
Lucy Nickson, Non-executive Director.
Lucy’s career started in nursing over 30 years ago, training within Sheffield and working at Weston Park Hospital for a number of years, before moving on to a role in Health Visiting, where she practiced in Chesterfield and North Derbyshire. NHS management roles followed, including leading Community Nursing within Derbyshire and then on to the East Midlands Strategic Health Authority as Head of Performance.
Lucy paused her career with the NHS 12 years ago and began a new phase within the charity sector. Since 2011, the former nurse has been Chief Executive of both a hospice and a home-based end of life care charity, as well as CEO at The Foundation at Club Doncaster and lead South Yorkshire-based commercial healthcare organisations. She is currently Chief Executive of Day One Trauma Support, a national charity which works alongside the health service to support people impacted by major trauma and serious injury.
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