Welcome to our Board
The Board is accountable for our vision, strategy, operational management, and financial decisions. We have a unitary Board which consists of fifteen Board Members including the Chair, seven voting Non -Executive Directors, and seven voting Executive Directors.
Executive Directors
Our Executive Directors are responsible for the day to day management of the Trust and are also part of the Board. They are lead by the Chief Executive.
Non-Executive Directors
Non-Executive Directors ensure that the Board acts in the best interests of our patients and community. They are appointed based on thier skill and experience for a specific term.
Trust Chair
The Trust Chair, who is a Non-Executive Director holds a dual role as Chair of the Board of Directors as well as the Council of Governors. This means that the Chair is responsible for leading both the Board and the Council of Governors to ensure that they are working together effectively.
Additionally, the Board also includes a Deputy Chair who deputises for the Chair when appropriate and a Senior Independent Director (SID) who is appointed by the Board made in consultation with the Council of Governors. The SID should act as the point of contact with the Board of Directors if Governors have concerns which approaches through normal channels have failed to resolve or for which such approaches are inappropriate. The SID may also act as the point of contact with the Board for Governors when they discuss for example the Chair's performance.
The Board works closely with our Council of Governors who represents the views of our local community.
Contacting the Board
All Board members may be contacted via the Corporate Governance Team via Corporate.meeting@swast.nhs.uk, South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, Abbey Court, Eagle Way, Exeter, EX2 7HY.
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Jess Cunningham
Executive Director of Operations / Deputy Chief Executive
Jessica joined the NHS in 1992 on the National Management Training Scheme Programme and spent the first decade of her career working in a number of large teaching hospitals in the north of England managing a number of specialties including Trauma and Orthopaedics, Ophthalmology, Renal, Neurosciences, Emergency Departments, Theatres and Anaesthetics amongst others.
Jessica was the Deputy Operations Director before joining the South West Strategic Health Authority in 2004 as the Performance Manager for Somerset, Devon and Dorset. During her time at the SHA she also led a number of strategic programmes of work across the South West including Renal and Stroke Services and Child Health.
In 2012 Jessica joined SWASFT as the Acquisition Director responsible for leading the acquisition of the Great Western Ambulance Service. In 2013 she became the Director of Planning and Performance with responsibility for negotiating the ambulance service contract and managing the Trusts relationships with Clinical Commissioning Groups and regulatory bodies including Monitor.
Jessica was appointed as the Executive Director of Operations in October 2017 and is responsible for all ambulance frontline services in the Trust including eight Counties, two Emergency Operations Centres, EPRR, the Trusts Fleet, and the Resourcing Operations Centre. Jessica also represents the Trust nationally and is currently the Deputy Chair for the National Directors of Operations Group.