Publish date: 1 November 2024

Trish Bennett plain background 2024.jpgToday we turn the page and start an exciting new chapter for Mersey Care.

Before I talk about the future, I’d firstly like to pay testament to Prof Joe Rafferty. I’ve known Joe for many years, he’s an inspirational leader, colleague and has become a dear friend. Yesterday Joe retired as the CEO and left a notable legacy that will have a profound impact on our organisation and the wider NHS for years to come. His leadership and vision have been remarkable, and I wish him well for the future.

I am incredibly proud to be the first female, clinical Chief Executive Officer at Mersey Care, and I consider it a huge privilege to lead our organisation. As many colleagues will know, I’m a local nurse and I’ve worked in the NHS across the North West for more than 40 years.

It’s an exciting time for Mersey Care, it’s a time for reflection, a time for review, but most importantly it’s time to deliver. Together we will adapt, make changes and close the gap on health inequalities by working with partners and across sectors to focus on delivering more integrated, preventative care in neighbourhoods closer to home.

Our staff are the heartbeat of the NHS, your ideas and experiences and the experience of our patients are my motivation and crucial in our mission to deliver outstanding care and services for our patients, service users and communities and make Mersey Care a better place to work.

Now is an important time for the NHS with large scale change on the horizon. The Government is engaging and working on a new 10 Year Health Plan to create a truly modern health service designed to meet the evolving needs of our changing population. I recently attended the national CEOs meeting where, the Secretary of State, Wes Streeting, was clear setting out his perspective on an NHS fit for the future and outlined three shifts:

  • From hospital to community
  • From treatment to prevention
  • From analogue to digital.

We are in a great place to respond to these emerging priorities and acknowledge the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead as the landscape changes. Looking ahead, delivering our strategy will be our key focus, with operational excellence at the core; we will improve, make changes, and use your clinical innovation, technology, and insight to transform care and do things better. We will not take our eye off consistently getting the basics right for our patients, service users, carers and our staff.

I am here to listen, learn and lead and together we will co create an organisational design, one that empowers you, one that works for you and supports delivery. I want everyone to feel they belong at Mersey Care; we will continue to foster a restorative just and learning culture rooted in trust and accountability and remain committed to our values.

Together we are on a journey, and our work and contributions will make a positive difference now and for future generations.

Thank you for everything you do.