NHS Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board (ICB) has announced that long serving Chief Executive, Mary Hutton is to retire in spring 2025 after 14 years in Gloucestershire.
Mary has been the Chief Executive of the ICB since 2021 and the One Gloucestershire Integrated Care System lead since 2018.
Before that she was Accountable Officer of NHS Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (since 2013) and has worked in the NHS for over 36 years in commissioning, performance and financial management.
She built up substantial senior leadership experience in that time and has also worked in Somerset, Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and North East Somerset and Berkshire before coming to Gloucestershire in 2011.
Outside of her NHS role, Mary is passionate about the support available to young people and youth services and has volunteered for charitable and community organisations over many years.
This has led to her championing increased access to volunteering opportunities and a focus on supporting the growth of resilient communities.
Mary Hutton said:
“It has been my honour and privilege to have served the county for nearly 14 years and a decision like this is always made with a heavy heart. We have built a strong track record for One Gloucestershire partnership working and this sense of collaboration and togetherness makes this ICS special.
I am very proud of what we have achieved during my tenure, in particular our backing for a resilient primary care and continued long term investment in premises and our successful clinical programme group approach to leading service improvement across the system.
We have also built strong relationships with the voluntary and community sector and worked with the local authority to place a renewed focus on children and young people, supporting older people, people with learning and physical disabilities, carers and mental health investment.
We have also worked diligently to ensure the county remains in good financial health despite a challenging environment and our staff survey results show that we have developed a strong and supportive working culture.
It will be very sad to say farewell to so many wonderful caring and dedicated health and care professionals, but I look forward to continuing to support Gloucestershire over the next few months with a continuing emphasis on prevention, reducing waiting times and improving access, strengthening primary and community services and digital transformation.”
Chair of NHS Gloucestershire ICB, Dame Gill Morgan said:
“Mary’s contribution to health and care in Gloucestershire is considerable. She has displayed great leadership over many years and has done so with compassion, integrity and a positive spirit.
She is extremely well respected and well loved in the county and her commitment to service users, in particular some of the most vulnerable in society, has marked her out as an excellent Chief Executive. We wish her a long, happy and healthy retirement.”
Chief Executive of Gloucestershire County Council, Pete Bungard said:
“Mary’s unwavering commitment to improving the lives of local people and developing healthcare in Gloucestershire has been so strong and her collaborative style and leadership has been greatly appreciated by the local authority and a wide range of public, voluntary and community sector partners.
She leaves a strong legacy for partnership working, which current and future leaders in the system can build on.”
Regional Director for NHS South West, Elizabeth O’Mahoney said:
“Mary embodies the true essence of NHS leadership and has made a significant and lasting contribution to health and care, both in Gloucestershire and the wider South West. Throughout her NHS career, she has demonstrated steadfast dedication, compassionate leadership and vision. Mary has shown remarkable resilience during challenging times, including the pandemic, and it has been a genuine privilege to collaborate with her.”
NHS Gloucestershire ICB will now begin a recruitment process for their new Chief Executive Officer.