Important information for all staff
Sent on behalf of Julie Houlder, Chair.
Dear all,
I shared the news last month that our chief executive, Tracy Allen, will step down from her role in September. I also promised to keep you all informed of the succession plans, with the commitment that we’d do everything we can in the best interests of this organisation. And it is for that reason that we have made the decision, as a Board, to appoint an interim chief executive from the existing executive team who can lead us through the next phase of our journey.
We have a strong and experienced executive team, and appointing from within will give us the necessary stability and continuity during a very challenging period for DCHS and the wider system. Given our strong track record of delivery, we’ve agreed with our regulators that the interim appointment will take us to April 2026, and a director from NHS England (Midlands) will support the selection process. We expect to conduct a full recruitment exercise later in 2025 to be able to appoint to the role substantively from April 2026.
I recognise that the news of Tracy’s departure has been unsettling for many of you, so I want to ensure the culture we’ve developed is not lost, and our ‘DCHS Way’ remains the bedrock of this brilliant organisation.
I’ve asked for expressions of interest from the executive team, and I’ll be inviting staff from across the Trust to be involved in a robust and transparent selection process in due course. Your support and involvement in this process will be invaluable and very much appreciated.
Best wishes,
Julie
Julie Houlder - Chair
Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust