Chief Nurse joins Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals

Karen Jessop has joined Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals (DBTH) as the organisation’s 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.

Speaking about her appointment as Chief Nurse, Karen said: “I am delighted to finally join Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals. This Trust has the ambition to be the safest in England, outstanding in all that it does. I believe that our nurses, midwives and allied health professionals have an integral role to play in achieving this goal, and I am excited to be a part of this journey and help to lead us in this direction.

“I’ve been able to visit the Trust on several occasions throughout December, and have already met with many different colleagues and teams. In the coming weeks I hope to meet many more individuals and hear their ideas on how we can improve, develop and enhance our services – as well as how we can further support colleagues to deliver the very best care.”

An integral role at the Trust, the Chief Nurse provides clear leadership to around 3,000 clinical staff, overseeing the development and delivery of outstanding patient care, while driving the organisation’s strategies for ‘Quality’, ‘Patient Experience’, ‘Patient Safety’ and ‘Infection Prevention and Control’.

Richard Parker OBE, Chief Executive at DBTH, said: “I am absolutely delighted to welcome Karen to the Trust and her new role. I am confident that Karen will provide inspirational leadership to the Trust’s largest professional teams, helping us to deliver our strategic objectives and, crucially, ensuring that we are the employer of choice for nurses, midwifes and allied health professionals to ensure that we able to provide the very highest standards of care for the patients of Doncaster, Bassetlaw and beyond.”

The Trust is made up of Doncaster Royal Infirmary, Bassetlaw Hospital and Montagu Hospital in addition to a number of external clinical sites. One of the largest providers within the region, the Trust cares for approximately 500,000 patients each and every year, spanning two counties which include both urban and rural communities.