QA hospital boss looks to future after first 100 days

That’s the message from the chief executive of Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust as he marks his 100th day in the job today.

Mark Cubbon took over the role at Queen Alexandra Hospital, in Cosham, on July 31 and said he has enjoyed it.

‘My first 100 days have been rewarding and really useful,’ he said.

‘It has been hard work but I expected that, it was always going to be.

‘I concentrated on meeting with staff and getting to know them and what they expect from the chief executive. The time spent speaking to them has allowed me to get to know the thousands of staff members we have.

‘I have also been able to learn about the services we provide and more about the population, their needs as they are now and how best we position ourselves as an organisation in the future to make sure we can respond to those needs.’

Mr Cubbon said in his first 100 days he has met about 3,500 members of staff with weekly meetings and walks around the wards.

He said that from speaking to employees, he discovered instability on the trust’s board was an issue and something he was keen to fix.

In the past three months the board has seen a new chairman, medical director and chief operating officer appointed with two more positions left to be announced.

Mr Cubbon added: ‘I have been pleased with the strengthening of leadership we have been able to do since I started. We have now filled all the positions.

‘I am pleased with the calibre of individuals we have been able to recruit and they should all be in place for January.

‘One of things staff told me about was the impact of having unstable leadership. There have been changes with people taking on temporary roles, but now there is good stability on the board. It puts us in good stead for the future.’

As Mr Cubbon looked ahead to his next 100 days in charge of the trust, he said high levels of engagement would continue.

‘The meetings with staff won’t just stop now I have reached the first 100 days,’ he said.

‘It will continue with our Big Conversations. I have enjoyed listening to staff, talking to them and acting on their feedback but now I am focusing on our next 100 days, 100 Days of Action.

‘It is really important because it recognises the whole process of the Big Conversations and the staff knowing the actions and responding to them.’

Mr Cubbon said the next 100 days would see the trust start implementing its Quality Improvement Plan.

The plan sets out the challenges the hospital will face this winter and how it will address concerns.

He said: ‘The plan forms what we will be doing this winter and it contains our ambitions to deliver the quality improvements we want to achieve.

‘A good number of staff volunteered to get involved, as did patient groups, and everyone will be working hard to see changes happen.’