David Moss, who became the first chairman of University Hospitals Dorset in October 2020, is to step down at the end of March.

He was previously chairman of both The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals and Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trusts and oversaw the merger and appointment of Debbie Fleming, its first chief executive, and of her successor, Siobhan Harrington, who takes up the post later this year.

David said: “I am very proud of the way our new trust and our staff joined forces to help improve health outcomes for the people of our region with the backdrop of the Covid pandemic. Working together as one trust, we have been able to tackle the problems we faced much better than had we still been separate. I am very pleased that we have a new chief executive joining later this year to replace Debbie Fleming when she retires and am confident that the trust will continue to go from strength to strength under the leadership of Siobhan Harrington. I am very grateful to all our staff for all their hard work and dedication and I wish them all the best for the future as I step down.”

David joined the NHS in 1973 as deputy director of finance at St Thomas’s Hospital London, and since then, has had extensive experience within the NHS – working at both a national and local level, in both an executive and a non-executive capacity. David was previously chief executive for Poole Hospital before being appointed in 1988 as chief executive for University Hospital Southampton, where he served for 16 years. During this time, David led the reconfiguration of acute services across the region, which involved transforming 10 hospitals within Hampshire, and under his leadership, University Hospital Southampton became a three star status trust and one of the leading university hospitals in the country.

Other roles he has held include director of finance for East Dorset Health Authority, chief executive of the Royal College of Physicians and chairman of the UK University Hospitals Association. He also worked at the Department of Health as deputy director of human resources and programme director for the NHS Pay Reforms. In that role he led the implementation of Agenda for Change, the New Consultant Contract and the European Working Time Directive.

Debbie Fleming said: “David Moss has been a fantastic first chairman for UHD, and the trust has really benefited from his many years of experience in the NHS, as he has helped to guide and steer our hospitals through both our merger and our response to Covid. David has ensured a safe transition during this time of change by ensuring the successful appointment of a new chief executive, who will continue leading UHD going forwards. We wish David all the best for his future and thank him for his service both to the NHS and to our hospitals.”

A recruitment process for David’s replacement is underway. If the new chairman is not in post by 1 April, Philip Green, vice chairman for UHD, will take on the role of acting chairman of the Trust Board and Council of Governors.