New boss of Bury St Edmunds West Suffolk Hospital NHS trust Dr Ewen Cameron will 'spend one afternoon a week doing endoscopy'
New chief executive Dr Ewen Cameron has taken the helm of West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust with no doubt in his mind that huge challenges lie ahead.
But it is also an exciting time for Dr Cameron, whose feet have scarcely touched the ground since he took up the role last month.
With the prospect of a brand new hospital in Bury St Edmunds due to be completed before the end of the decade he can look forward to leading the trust through a major transformation.
He must also navigate one of the toughest periods in NHS history as it emerges from the Covid pandemic and faces the impact of massive waiting lists, overloaded emergency departments, and strikes.
But as he says: “Difficult times are when you can make the greatest difference.”
One thing he stresses over and over again is the crucial role of the trust’s 5,000-plus staff in tackling problems and improving patient care.
That’s why meeting as many of them as possible has been one of his top priorities.
In his first four weeks he has visited more than 60 different teams, ranging from wards in West Suffolk Hospital to hubs where community services are based.
Winning back confidence after the whistleblowing controversy that led to the resignation of former chief executive Stephen Dunn is also high on his list.
His job comes with responsibility for the efficient working of every aspect of the trust’s services, from life-saving surgery to the hospital café.
“The buck for shaping the future of the organisation stops with the chief executive. It’s a responsible job but a rewarding one,” he says.
Dr Cameron is the first medical doctor to take on the chief executive role since West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust was established in 2011.
It will enable him to see things from both sides of the fence because he will continue working as a gastroenterologist in the hospital.
“I’ll spend one afternoon a week doing endoscopy. I’m really keen to do that because I love doing it, and spent many years training to do it.
“But it also enables me to be a member of staff and experience what it’s like to work in the hospital.
“Being a doctor gives you a different perspective on health services. It gives you a different way of understanding the challenges that clinical staff face.”
Dr Cameron joined the West Suffolk trust from Addenbrooke’s Hospital, in Cambridge.
Born in London, and with Scottish heritage that explains the less-common spelling of his first name, he grew up in Watford where his mother still lives in the family home.
“From a pretty young age, around 12, I knew I wanted to be a doctor,” he says. “There were doctors and nurses in our extended family, and I was also interested in science, particularly bio-sciences.
“It seemed a good way of using those skills to help people. I’ve never regretted that decision. If I went back I would do the same again.”
He studied medicine at Jesus College, Cambridge, and later specialised in gastroenterology. Much of his career has been spent in hospitals in East Anglia.
“I became a consultant 16 years ago at Addenbrooke’s. My main area of clinical interest is endoscopy. I found myself leading the endoscopy unit and bowel cancer screening centre.
“I hadn’t intended to finish up in leadership. I’d planned to do a lot of advanced endoscopy and teaching and research, but I really enjoyed my time leading my department.”
He spent five years on the board of the hospital as executive director of improvement and transformation.
For a year he also covered the post of chief operating officer, responsible for the day to day running of the hospital, during the most difficult days of the pandemic.
The forward-looking reputation of the West Suffolk trust – including integrated services with NHS and social work teams based together, and its renowned use of digital technology – was what persuaded him to move.
“It is a really excellent trust, with an excellent reputation for delivering very good care.
“I was excited by the combination of the great people I had heard about working here, where community services are integrated, and the reputation for delivering much more joined up care.
“I was excited by the digital technology, and it’s only going to become more important. The digital patient records in West Suffolk have been recognised as a global exemplar.
“If I look back I would sit in an outpatients’ clinic looking through big piles of notes . . . if someone had been able to retrieve them. Everything was in a different place.
“The digital system allows us to deliver that care much more efficiently.”
Plans to replace the ageing West Suffolk Hospital, which was built in the early 1970s, with a new hospital in Bury was another factor.
“It’s exciting to build something that will impact care for the next two generations,” says Dr Cameron. “We hope it will be finished by the end of the decade.
“We own the site, and have planning permission to a certain point. There are more planning details to be worked out.”
He is relishing settling into his new job and getting to know people. “The staff have been incredibly welcoming. I have spent a lot of time going out and meeting as many as possible.
“I’m loving it so far. I’ve really enjoyed meeting staff and hearing about the genuine pride people have in the organisation. It’s a real community organisation.”
On Monday, he was at the Mildenhall Hub where community nursing and social services teams are based. “The real strength is that they are working in the same building,” he says.
Talking to staff across the trust, which serves a population of 280,000 spread over 600 square miles with hospitals in Bury and Newmarket, has helped him understand their priorities.
“I have heard some really strong themes. They include the importance of working together in strong teams, and a real desire to deliver great care to patients and the community.
“I’ve heard about the real benefits that acute and community services are delivering, and the real importance of integrating with social care. All these things came out as really key.
“Another important thing was the challenges some people have felt about being able to speak up within teams. I want people to feel listened to.
“We all recognise the things that have happened in the organisation in the past, and there is an enormous amount that has been done to try and rectify that, and more to be done.
“I want to make West Suffolk the safest environment for people to be working in and to raise concerns, and when concerns are raised we will do something about it.
“Our staff are in a place where they can see where the challenges are and that is the way we can deliver even better services.”
He paid tribute to Craig Black, the director of resources who stepped up to the role of interim chief executive after Stephen Dunn left.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Craig Black for the excellent work he has done guiding the organisation through difficult times. His knowledge will be invaluable to me,” he says.
Meeting the ever-growing need for the trust’s services is a key concern.
“The demand for services is really high in urgent and emergency care, and elective waiting lists are long.
“A lot of work is going into trying to bring those down . . . and we know as the population ages that will mean a significant increase in demand. Finding ways to tackle that will be really important.
“In some cases there are relatively straightforward solutions, like the new diagnostic centre at Newmarket Hospital (a £15 million project due for completion next year). In other cases the solutions will be more complicated.
“The challenges that are particularly important are the modification of care - changing the way care is delivered to allow the hospital to function and finding the best way of delivering care to the people of west Suffolk.
“Digital technology will become increasingly important. It will make it easier for staff to do their job.
“There are staff shortages worldwide and it’s no different in West Suffolk. We are working very hard to recruit as many as we can.
“The rate of vacancies are reducing but there will continue to be shortages for a while.
“We are doing a range of things including ‘grow your own’ – finding ways to train up our own staff, with nursing and therapy apprenticeships for example.
“One in five of our staff are from overseas, from a total of 80 different countries. We are very reliant on staff from other countries, and are doing active recruitment.”
He hopes the recent NHS pay disputes will soon be resolved. “The amount of work the teams have had to put in to keep things functioning during the strikes are incredible.
“They are incredibly busy already and we really hope the strike action can come to a mutually agreed resolution soon.”
Dr Cameron, who is married with a daughter, lives near Newmarket. His interests outside work include keeping fit, which involves running, and climbing all of Scotland’s highest peaks.
“I run a lot, every other day, and I love walking our dogs. Running and walking are a good way to clear the mind. I have done marathons in the past, but I think my marathon days are probably over.
“Whenever I can I get up to Scotland to hill walk, I’ve climbed all the Munros and plan to do them again. In summer I play for my village cricket team. I like to be outdoors as much as possible.”
