Fire chief to take over as hospital chairman

WARRINGTON and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has appointed Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue chief Steve McGuirk as its new chairman.
Mr McGuirk (pictured), who lives in Warrington, is currently county fire officer and chief executive of Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service.
He will join Warrington and Halton Hospitals in April on his retirement from his current post.
The appointment comes as current chairman Allan Massey retires from the hospital trust after 11 years in post. His term of office was due to end this month but he will continue on a month by month basis until Mr McGuirk joins the hospitals.
Mr McGuirk joined the fire service in 1976 and has more than 37 years’ experience.
He was previously County Fire Officer and Chief Executive for Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service before taking on the post in Greater Manchester in 2009. He has also been a board member and president of the Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA) and has been the principal adviser on fire and rescue matters to the Local Government Association. He was awarded the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal in 1996, the Queen’s Fire Service Medal in 2002, and the CBE in 2005.
He is now the UK’s longest serving fire chief, having completed 14 years’ service at this most senior level and has also gained extensive experience in governance of public authorities.
Mr McGuirk was appointed as chairman following an extensive recruitment process that involved the hospitals’ elected public and staff governors on the selection panel.
He said: “I am delighted and I feel really honoured to be taking over as the chair of my local trust, and very much looking forward to building on the excellent work of my predecessor Allan, who has successfully steered the trust over the last few years.
“Of course there are huge challenges ahead for the whole of the NHS and Warrington and Halton are part of that. But we have a great management team and fantastic staff, we have very committed and supportive governors and we have a strong partnership with the wider health and public sector so I feel sure we can meet those challenges head on.”
Trust chief executive Mel Pickup said: “I’m excited and looking forward to working with Steve who brings a wealth of public sector experience as well as local knowledge to the trust. It’s an exciting time for us as we embark on delivering our five year plan to further modernise our ospitals and continue delivering the quality improvements that we’ve seen during Allan’s time in office with us.”