Cara Charles-Barks, Chief Executive

Cara qualified as a Registered Nurse in 1990 in Australia. She has 30 years’ experience in the public and private health care sector and has been named as one of the NHS's top 50 Chief Executives five times.

Cara has been the Chief Executive Officer of the RUH since September 2020. Before that, she was CEO at Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust, during which time she received an MBE as part of the Queen’s Birthday Honours for her leadership during the Novichok incident.

In June 2019, she was appointed Honorary Colonel of 243 Multi-role Medical Regiment, part of the Army Medical Services.

Jon Westbrook, Interim Managing Director

Jon joined the Trust as Medical Director in September 2021 and was Acting Chief Executive Officer from January to October 2024. From 1 November 2024 he moved in to the role of interim Managing Director, where he provides day-to-day leadership of the Trust working with other executive directors.

Jon’s consultant medical career was at Oxford University Hospitals, where he was a specialist in Neuro-anaesthesia and Neuro-intensive care for over 25 years.

He was also one of the Oxford Divisional Directors for eight years leading many services including core and specialist clinical teams. Jon's focus is on the delivery of high quality and safe patient care both in the Trust and across the wider health system.

Jon Burwell, Interim Chief Digital Officer

Jon was appointed as Acting Chief Digital Officer in December 2023, from his previous role of Chief Information Officer across Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust.

Jon has previous experience in digital, performance, and strategy across a range of NHS organisations.

He is responsible for the digital portfolio, including digital strategy, IT, applications, business intelligence, clincial coding and information governance.

Lisa Cheek, Chief Nurse

Lisa joined the Trust in March 2021 from Royal United Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in Bath as Chief Nurse, with a range of skills and experience from her previous roles.

She is focused on driving continuous improvement, further engaging with colleagues across the NHS and other partner organisations to roll-out the Trust's improvement plans at a system level.

Lisa believes that high quality care should be our priority at all times. She plays a key role in streamlining and integrating processes and supporting staff to recognise areas for positive change and implementing these changes.

Jude Gray, Chief People Officer

Jude was appointed as the Trust's Chief People Officer in July 2019.

In this role she is responsible for all aspects of workforce planning, sustainability and health and wellbeing.

She oversees the recruitment of staff and managing strategic staffing planning and will serve as a link between the Trust and its employees. Jude previously worked for the BBC and Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service.

Dr Steve Haig, Acting Chief Medical Officer

Stephen joined the trust as a Consultant Emergency Physician in 2011, and was appointed as Acting Chief Medical Officer in January 2024.

He has had a variety of leadership roles including clinical lead of the Emergency Department, Associate Medical Director for the Unscheduled Care division, and Deputy Chief Medical Officer.

He believes in high quality, safe, patient centred services that are driven by the principles of the NHS.

Claire Thompson, Chief Officer, Improvement & Partnerships

Claire joined the Trust in April 2021 with extensive NHS experience as a Divisional Director, Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Director of Commissioning including leading on patient flow and working with partners on system-wide performance. Claire also led the system Covid-19 vaccination programme in Bristol.

Claire leads our Trust improvement approach – Improving Together – and is key to building productive relationships with our partners.

Simon Wade, Chief Financial Officer

Simon was appointed as the Trust's Chief Financial Officer in November 2020.

He joined the Trust from Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, where he was Deputy Director of Finance.

Simon is responsible for developing a strategy that ensures that the Trust's financial resources are used in the most efficient and effective way, to ensure a high quality patient service.

He is also responsible for our capital investment programme and for ensuring that the estate is fit for purpose and meets the needs of the Trust's strategy.