Group chief executive announced for North West London acute NHS Trusts
Professor Tim Orchard has been appointed group chief executive of the North West London Acute Provider Group due to launch formally on 1 April 2026.
The move to a group model is the next step in the development of the North West London Acute Provider Collaborative, established in July 2022 and made up of:
- The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust
- Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
- London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust
Professor Orchard has been chief executive of Imperial College Healthcare since 2018. He was previously divisional director for medicine and integrated care and continues as a consultant gastroenterologist and professor of gastroenterology at Imperial College London.
The Trusts will remain four separate organisations with a board and chair in common. The group chief executive will become the 'accountable officer' for all four trusts. Each trust, including Imperial College Healthcare, will also continue to have its own chief executive, who will report to the group chief executive and remain a key partner to local stakeholders.
Matthew Swindells, Chair of all four Trusts, said: “Tim's appointment is an important milestone in our journey towards greater collaboration for the benefit of all our patients, staff and local communities. The group model will allow simpler and faster decision-making, reflecting local needs and views while also supporting more joined-up working.
“Tim brings a deep commitment to, and understanding of, health and care, research and innovation and, most importantly, our patients, partners, local communities and staff. The leadership he will be able to provide in his new role will bring an additional boost to the whole group and I'm looking forward to continuing to work closely with him and all our Trust chief executives to enable all four trusts to reach their full potential.”
Professor Tim Orchard, group chief executive designate, said: “Our Trusts and hospitals have different but equally important roles in achieving better health and healthcare for our diverse population. As I prepare for my new role, I want to spend as much time as possible engaging with colleagues and wider stakeholders to determine how we best work together. The group model has to add value to all the great things that are already happening and provide more opportunities for our staff to flourish.
“I also want to be clear that moving to a group model won't create any immediate or sudden changes in how we work. I know staff across our hospitals are feeling the pressure of our operational and financial challenges and it's vital we maintain our focus on ensuring safe, high-quality care, especially as we head in to winter and continue to reduce waiting times. Instead, I want to make it easier for us to draw on our collective skills, resources and ideas to drive change and improvement together and towards our common goals.”
Dame Caroline Clarke, Regional Director for the NHS in London, said: "Tim is an experienced leader with a deep commitment to quality. His appointment will bring strong leadership to the emerging provider collaborative, not only on the immediate performance challenges facing the NHS but crucially helping us to maximise opportunities to innovate and improve care for the years ahead. I look forward to working with Tim in this new capacity, with provider collaboratives playing a key role in London's delivery of the 10 Year Health Plan."
Professor Orchard will take up his new role formally on 1 April 2026