Our Board

The Board of Directors have responsibility for managing services across the Trust and developing plans and strategies for the future.

The board is made up of executive and non-executive directors. Non-executive directors are not full-time employees of the Trust, but they help to ensure the Trust is accountable to the people it serves.

A full board structure can be found by clicking here.

New NHS Group Model

Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust and The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust are moving towards a formal NHS Group Model, culminating in the creation of a single Group Board from 1 April 2026.

The plan has a strategic rationale, robust governance framework, leadership model and phased timeline for the transition. Crucially, it means both Trusts maintain their sovereignty and legal independence whilst benefitting from strengthened collaboration, consistency and shared leadership across the two organisations.

Serving overlapping populations and with similar operational, workforce and financial pressures, the plan ensures that deeper collaboration will help us go further and faster on improvement, transformation and reform, particularly in areas such as quality, equity, workforce development and use of resources.

Key drivers for the change include reducing differences in outcomes and patient experience, improving access to safe, high‑quality care, creating a larger, more flexible workforce and consistent leadership expectations. It will also bring benefits in strengthening both organisations’ role as anchor institutions and reducing duplication, in governance and assurance, all while preserving local identity through enabling shared strategic leadership.

Under the new structure, Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust and The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust will operate under a single Group Board, established as a Joint Committee of both sovereign Trust Boards, supported by a suite of joint committees covering quality, finance & productivity, people and infrastructure. Whilst several committees have already begun transitioning to joint arrangements, each trust will maintain its own integration and audit committees.

Key changes include:

A unified Group Board acting as a Joint Committee of both Trust Boards
Standardised governance processes and reduced duplication
Joint committees for Quality, People, Finance & Productivity, Infrastructure and more
Clear definition between matters reserved to each sovereign Board and those exercised jointly at Group level

What stays the same:

Each trust remains a separate statutory organisation
The Dudley Group DGFT’s Council of Governors retains its legal duties
Accountability to NHS England, CQC and local partners
Local identity and site‑based leadership

The Group will be led by Sir David Nicholson as Group Chair, with deputy chairs for each organisation – Lesley Writtle (Sandwell) and Gary Crowe (Dudley). Following a structured selection process, 11 Non-executive Directors (NEDs) have been appointed to group roles, and will take up their post from 1 April 2026. Each will hold a full NED role in one Trust and an Associate NED role in the other. This approach aligns status and voting rights while supporting unified governance.

Group Executive Directors

Diane Wake – Group Chief Executive

Jonathan Odum – Group Chief Medical Officer

Mel Roberts – Group Chief Nurse

Rachel Barlow – Group Chief Development Officer

Adam Thomas – Group Chief Strategy & Digital Officer

Kat Rose – Interim Group Chief Partnership Officer

Laura Broster – Group Chief Communications Officer

Dr James Fleet – Group Chief People Officer

Site Executive Teams

Each Trust retains its own site‑based executive leadership, ensuring strong local accountability.

Our Board of Directors

Sir David Nicholson

Chair

Sir David Nicholson joined the Trust as chair on 1st September 2022. He is also currently chairman of Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, having taken up his position there in May 2021. David stood down as chair of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust in August 2022. Sir David Nicholson’s career in NHS management has spanned more than 40 years and included the most senior posts in the service. He was chief executive of the NHS for seven years from 2006-2013 and then, following a major national restructure, became the first chief executive of the organisation now known as NHS England from 2013-2014. continue reading

Diane Wake

Group chief executive officer

A nurse by background, Diane has worked in the NHS for over 40 years. She has been a chief executive in the NHS for over 12 years. She joined The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust as Chief Executive in April 2017. Diane trained as a nurse between 1984 and 1987 and has an extensive background in nursing, occupying senior leadership positions in surgical specialties of urology, colorectal, vascular, and breast surgery. Diane has a wealth of experience in both clinical practice and leadership roles. continue reading

Gary Crowe

Non-executive director and deputy chair [Dudley]

Gary was most recently a university professor of Innovation Leadership at Keele University Management School. He previously held senior commercial positions in strategy, business transformation and risk & financial management as a director and management consultant in the financial services sector. continue reading

Non executive directors

Peter Featherstone

Non-executive director

Peter is a pharmacist by background and an experienced non-executive director, who has previously held senior leadership positions across NHS bodies and local government authorities in transformation, service efficiency, service improvement, and corporate governance. continue reading

Catherine Holland

Non-executive director

Catherine is a writer, speaker, coach/mentor and facilitator, developing the practice of senior leaders. A member of the Golden Egg Academy, she is currently writing a children’s book. Catherine is an associate consultant with ‘Amara Collaboration’, a contributing author to’ Street Smart Awareness’ and ‘Inquiry in Action’; and co-designer and facilitator in transformational leadership development retreats. continue reading

Mick Laverty

Non-executive director

Mick is a chartered accountant and experienced chief executive. Mick is currently chief executive of the ExtraCare Charitable Trust, a charity that builds and runs the UK’s largest retirement villages. continue reading

Dr Mohit Mandiratta

Non-executive director

Dr Mohit Madiratta qualified as a GP through the Dudley VTS scheme in 2013. He has spent the last 10 years working at Feldon Practice in Halesowen, where he enjoys the role and responsibility as a GP partner. His role in primary care has allowed him to gain invaluable insight into the health needs of local people and this has been furthered by his involvement in healthcare commissioning (in CCGs and the ICB) since 2016. Mohit enjoys educating our future doctors as a GP trainer and he also supports a national ‘Rebuild General Practice’ campaign where he has spoken to MPs in Westminster highlighting the issues which primary care currently face. continue reading

Vij Randeniya

Non-executive director

Vij is an experienced non-executive director within the health service. He is deputy chairman of Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust and sits on the governing body of Aston University. Vij is a trustee of the Royal Society for Public Health and former chief fire officer for West Midlands Fire Service. Vij has substantial experience of large-scale project management, leadership and change management. continue reading

Lowell Williams

Non-executive director

Lowell was the chief executive officer of Dudley College of Technology from 2008-2019 and led the college to an Ofsted Outstanding rating in the 2017 inspection. In January 2018, he was named as one of seven appointments to the government’s advisory group, the National Leaders of Further Education, which is made up of principals from colleges who have been rated good or outstanding. continue reading