Mark Devlin Appointed as Interim Chair of Health Education Kent, Surrey and Sussex

Health Education Kent, Surrey and Sussex (HE KSS) is delighted to welcome back Mark Devlin, Chief Executive of Medway NHS Foundation Trust as its Interim Chair. Mark was instrumental as our Interim Chair in the development and establishment of the organisation and has continued to be a member of our Governing Body during 2013/14. The achievements that we are proud to have been able to make during our first year, particularly in the delivery of our five-year Skills Development Strategy, began under his stewardship in 2012.

Mark began his management career in 1991 as a business manager in the Belfast City Hospital having joined the NHS as a graduate management trainee in Northern Ireland in 1989. He progressed through general management positions covering a wide range of clinical services and hospital settings in London. He became project director for the first ambulatory care and diagnostic centre at the Central Middlesex Hospital in 1997 and led one of the major divisions of the Royal Free Hospital from 1998 to 2001.

He achieved his first board level position in 2001 as deputy chief executive of North West London Hospitals. Before joining Medway NHS Foundation Trust in 2010 he had been the chief executive of Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust from 2005. Mark is a member of the Institute of Healthcare Management and of Membership of Committees.

Mark will cover the role of Chair for HE KSS while Health Education England seeks to recruit a new Independent Chair. Philippa Spicer, Managing Director of HE KSS said:

I am so pleased that Mark has agreed to again support the organisation in this interim period. He has continued to remain a strong supporter of our approach to truly integrated education both within the organisation and wider with our stakeholders and has provided a strong independent challenge to us as we have developed and implemented our plans during the year.

On his appointment, Mark said:

I am delighted to be supporting HE KSS as Interim Chair once again and to be continuing the significant progress that has been achieved by the KSS team and wider system partnership to date in shaping and developing the healthcare workforce of tomorrow.