Group Chair, Norfolk and Waveney University Hospitals Group

The Norfolk and Waveney University Hospitals Group (NWUHG), was formed in May 2025 and brings together the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals Trust, the James Paget University Hospitals Trust and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Kings Lynn.

While each Trust continues to operate under its own name and identity, the formation of the group enables us to build on the successful partnership we established as the Norfolk and Waveney Acute Hospital Collaborative, through which we’ve worked since September 2020 to align decision-making on common issues.

As the NWUHG, we will work together under a Group Board with a single Group Chair, Group CEO, Prof Lesley Dwyer, and joint Executive and non-Executive Directors. Currently working under a Partnership Collaboration Agreement and a transition arrangement, the intention is for each Trust to fully delegate its responsibilities (except for a small number of reserved functions) to the Group Board by October 2025.

Each Trust remains a separate statutory organisation with its own Executive Managing Director, who will be a full member of the Group board, and leadership team. Each hospital also remains focused on its community and local services and staff relationships will continue to be central to how we work. The Group Chair will therefore also be the Chair of the individual trusts.

This structure will align our strategic ambitions and give us the streamlined decision-making combined with locally-focused delivery of care that will enable us to enhance experience and outcomes for patients across Norfolk and Waveney. It also gives us the opportunity to:

Transform health services based on the needs of our patients and communities, particularly focusing on preventative and proactive healthcare for people with long-term conditions and delivering a consistent best practice model of urgent and emergency care with a focus on frailty.
Build on our combined knowledge, skills and experience to implement safe and sustainable care models, level-up access and outcomes and improve outcomes for people with cancer.
Take a co-ordinated approach to the development of the two new hospitals in King’s Lynn and Gorleston.
Work at scale to improve our service resilience, enhance staff development and training, create a University Hospital system that strengthens our potential for research, training and innovation, and realise the benefits of service transformation that can be achieved through estates and digital.
Tackle underlying financial challenges and take advantage of the negotiation, purchasing and investment power that comes with being part of a group.

This is an exciting opportunity for the right candidate to be at the start of shaping the Group and the future of healthcare across our system.

Dear Candidate,
Thank you for your interest in becoming the substantive Group Chair of the Norfolk and Waveney University Hospitals Group. As the Group’s first Chief Executive, I am delighted that you are considering this unique opportunity and to express my personal enthusiasm for working with a Group Chair to deliver one of the most ambitious transformation programmes currently underway in the NHS.
We are building something of real scale and significance. Bringing together three statutory Foundation Trusts, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals, Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn, and James Paget University Hospitals, into a single Group model offers an unparalleled opportunity to improve care, modernise services and work in partnership with our communities to address longstanding health inequalities.
As the formal launch of the Group approaches in October 2025, much of the groundwork is already underway. Clinical and operational teams across our three hospitals are collaborating more closely than ever, with shared services and digital systems starting to take shape. But we know that the model’s long term success will depend not only on effective design, but on values driven leadership and the ability to bring people with us through change. The Group Chair will play a central role in ensuring that the leadership we provide is ambitious, inclusive, and focused on outcomes that matter.
At this stage of our development, the partnership between Group Chair and Group Chief Executive will be pivotal. It must be characterised by mutual trust, strategic alignment, and a shared commitment to excellence. I am looking for a Chair who brings deep curiosity, sound judgment, and the courage to challenge and support in equal measure. Someone who thrives in complexity, sees the potential in our people, and understands how to balance the perspectives of national policy, local context, and public accountability.
We will need to make difficult decisions in the years ahead, but we will also have extraordinary opportunities. From the once in a generation hospital redevelopments at QEH and JPUH to the rollout of a single electronic patient record, we are entering a period where real transformation is possible. Together, the Chair and I will be stewards of that transformation, setting a clear and credible direction, building the confidence of our partners and communities, and ensuring our staff are engaged and supported every step of the way.
I want this Group to be known nationally for what it achieves for patients, for the talent it attracts and develops, and for the boldness of its ambition. If you are a collaborative, inspiring leader who shares that vision, and are ready to help shape the future of hospital care across Norfolk and Waveney, I would be truly excited to work with you.
Warmest regards,
Lesley Dwyer
Group Chief Executive
Norfolk and Waveney University Hospitals Group
Please click here to view the Role Description and Candidate Pack
All applications must include:
- A full curriculum vitae/resume
- Quoting the relevant role reference number: A040779
- A covering letter highlighting the aspects of the job description and Norfolk & Waveney University Hospitals Group that particularly attract you to the post (Microsoft Word document)
- Contact details for three referees, these will not be contacted without your permission. (References should validate a minimum period of six years employment)
- A completed self-attestation form
- A completed Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form (which you will be redirected to once you have submitted your application) *
Right to work checks
If you are successfully shortlisted, our partner, Yoti, will contact you to complete an online right to work check. This is a quick and secure process, ensuring that all necessary legal requirements are met before proceeding further in the recruitment process.
Monitoring
One of Alumni Global’s and Norfolk & Waveney University Hospitals Group’s objectives is to ensure that its workforce is reflective of the local community and therefore we actively encourage applications from under-represented groups. So that we can successfully achieve these aims, while it is not mandatory we would encourage every applicant to complete the “Equal Opportunities Monitoring form” so that we can measure the effectiveness of our efforts. The Recruiting Manager does not have access to the Monitoring Information Sections of the application form at any stage of the process and the information provided will be kept entirely confidential.
For a confidential discussion on this role please contact:
Frank McKenna, Director on +44 782 454 29 70.
Candidate adjustment
If you require any reasonable adjustments to be made as part of the recruitment process please can you advise us so that we can ensure this is accommodated.
Key Milestones:
Closing date: 1st August 2025
Stakeholders: w/c 25th August 2025 - TBC
Final Interviews: w/c 25th August 2025 - TBC
Please ensure you have made a note of the final interview date(s). We recommend that you bookmark this microsite, as any potential updates regarding the role will be posted online.