New managing director drafted into Basildon Hospital in NHS overhaul

Clare Culpin, who is currently acting chief executive of Kettering General Hospital, in Northamptonshire, will join the team in March. She has been covering long-term sick leave at her current hospital.

The announcement comes two weeks after the Echo revealed Basildon Hospital chief executive Clare Panniker had also taken over the reins at Southend Hospital. She was made chief executive of the Mid Essex Hospitals NHS Trust, which includes Broomfield Hospital, in Chelmsford, last year as the three began to work closer together.

Ms Culpin has worked in Kettering for more than four years. She has held a number of roles at the hospital - including director of nursing and quality, director of strategy and corporate governance and deputy chief executive.

During her time, she spearheaded a number of initiatives - including the ‘I Will’ initiative to improve patient safety and the introduction of the pioneering Academy of Geratology Excellence programme to improve care for older people.

Ms Culpin also helped develop the transformation plan at Kettering Hospital, which has been ordered to improve by the Care Quality Commission.

Mrs Panniker said: “We are delighted to welcome such an experienced senior health professional to our trust.

“We are confident Clare will make a significant contribution to developing and improving our services for patients.”

Ms Culpin will have responsibility for direct operational management at the trust, and be part of the joint management team of the three hospital trusts in the Essex Success Regime – Basildon, Broomfield and Southend.

She started out as a matron and nurse manager for infection prevention and control at University College London. From there she moved onto deputy director of nursing at Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospital. She moved to become the director of nursing and midwifery at the same hospital, before joining the team at Oxford Radcliffe Hospital as a deputy chief nurse.