Interim chairman to take the helm at scandal-hit mental health trust caring for Wigan patients

Rupert Nichols announced last month that he would be stepping down early as chairman of scandal-hit Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH).

His term of office was due to end in July 2023, but he will now retire at the end of December, stating the trust faces “significant challenges” after undercover filming by the BBC’s Panorama programme at the Edenfield Centre in Prestwich, Bury, which triggered a police investigation.

Bill McCarthy will now become interim chairman on January 1 and hold the role for up to 12 months.

He will lead the trust into the next phase of its improvement process, through the NHS England Recovery Support Programme.

Mr McCarthy still step down from his current role as senior independent director at Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust.

He was previously NHS regional director in the North West, before he retired in 2021, and his career included stints as director of policy for NHS England, chief executive at NHS Yorkshire and the Humber Strategic Health Authority, director general for the Department of Health and chief executive of City of York Council.

Neil Thwaite, chief executive of GMMH, said: “On behalf of the board of directors, we welcome Bill’s appointment as interim chair. His vast experience of the NHS and collaboration with partners will be hugely beneficial to our efforts to improve services. I look forward to working closely with him in the coming months.

“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Rupert Nichols, who will shortly leave us after more than six years as our chair. I wish him all the best in his retirement.”

A substantive chairman of the trust will be recruited via its council of governors next year, working with its stakeholders.

The trust provides mental health care across Wigan and other parts of Greater Manchester.

Services under its umbrella include Atherleigh Park in Leigh, a range of mental health care, children and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), autistic spectrum disorder diagnostic services and support for young people with eating disorders.