Bedford Hospital has appointed Deirdre Fowler, on secondment, as director of nursing and patient services
Deirdre has been working in the NHS for over 30 years, most recently as the director of nursing, midwifery and quality at Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust.
Prior to that held she held the same post at Hinchingbrooke HealthCare Trust.
She began her career qualifying as a registered general nurse in 1989 and then a midwife in 1994.
Deirdre is said to have been: “instrumental in helping Hinchingbrooke Health Care Trust move from an ‘Inadequate’ CQC rating to ‘Good’ by leading the implementation of a robust Quality Improvement Plan.”
Speaking about her new role, Deirdre Fowler said: “I am delighted to join Bedford Hospital and adding my experience and knowledge to the great work currently underway to further improve patient care and experience.
“I am very much looking forward to getting out and about to meet everyone particularly staff at ‘the point of care’ delivery”.
Stephen Conroy, Chief Executive at Bedford Hospital added: “We are delighted that Deirdre has joined our Executive Team.
“I know her extensive skills and experience will play a key role in the delivery of care we provide to our patients every day and will effectively contribute to our journey to be CQC ‘Good’ by our next inspection.
“Deirdre will continue to provide strong and professional leadership for our dedicated Nurses and Midwives and is an excellent addition to the Trust Board who we very much look forward to working with.
Deidre comes into the role as the successor to Liz Lees, who has been in the role since April 2018 across Bedford and Luton and Dunstable University Hospital.
Praising Liz for her work, Stephen said: “I would also like to take the opportunity to thank Liz Lees for all her hard work and commitment over the past year in this demanding role.”
