Bristol NHS Group appoints single non-executive director team

Partners North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT) and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) have appointed a single Non-Executive Director team as it continues on Group journey

Following the successful formation of the Bristol NHS Group by NBT and UHBW in April 2025, today Bristol NHS Group confirms the appointment of a single Non-Executive Director team for both organisations.

The new Bristol NHS Group Non-Executive board members are:

• Martin Sykes – UHBW Vice Chair
• Sarah Purdy – NBT Vice Chair
• Linda Kennedy
• Marc Griffiths
• Richard Gaunt
• Roy Shubhabrata
• Shawn Smith (NBT)
• Sue Balcombe (UHBW)

In July this year, Bristol NHS Group announced its plan to explore how NBT and UHBW might become a single organisation, to make it easier to unlock greater economies of scale – driving further value for the public purse and reinvesting savings into front-line care. In the interim, the Boards of UHBW and NBT will continue to meet ‘in common’ as a single Group Board working alongside the new single Group Executive team formed in July 2025. Two organisation specific Non-Executive Directors will provide an independent voice for each organisation.

Ingrid Barker, Group Chair said of the appointments: “I’m delighted to have appointed a single Board for our Group and look forward to working with them as we strive to achieve our vision for seamless, sustainable, high-quality care for the benefit of our Patients, our People, our Population, and the Public Purse.

“Non-Executive Directors play a crucial role in the safe and effective running of the NHS and each appointee to our Bristol NHS Group Bord brings valuable skills and experience from a wide variety of roles within the wider community to our two Trusts.”