THE chief executive of the Royal Surrey Hospital, Louise Stead, has been rated among the best in England.

 Louise was recognised as part of the Health Service Journal’s ‘top 50’ list of NHS Trust leaders, ranking 13 out of 219 chief executives by judges across the health and social care profession. They were asked to choose the top 50 based on the performance of the organisation run by the Chief Executive, their contribution to the wider healthcare system, and the personal example they set to peers and employees.

“It is an absolute honour to be recognised by such key figures within the NHS, a reflection of the hard work and dedication of the teams I work with,” said Louise.

“Royal Surrey’s staff have done their very best for our local community through the toughest of times and their fortitude and dedication to our patients has helped make our Trust what it is today – one of the top cancer centres in the country with an excellent record for patient safety.”

Having started her career as a nurse in 1988, Louise was appointed as chief executive of Royal Surrey in September 2018. Prior to this she was the deputy chief executive officer and director of nursing, where she was pivotal to the Trust achieving a “good” rating from the Care Quality Commission. 

A well-known and well respected figure within the NHS across the south east region, Louise works closely with regional NHS partners to improve the quality of care for patients. She is chair of the Surrey and Sussex Cancer Alliance, provider partner member of the NHS Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Board and chair of the Surrey Heartlands Provider Collaborative Board.