Welsh Ambulance Service appoints new Non-Executive Directors
THE Welsh Ambulance Service has appointed two new Non-Executive Directors to its Board.
The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care has appointed both Hayley Hutchings and Rhiannon Beaumont-Wood for four years from 11 November 2024.
Hayley is currently a Professor of Health Services Research and Director of the UK Clinical Research Collaboration registered Swansea Trials Unit at Swansea University.
Rhiannon was previously the Executive Director of Quality, Nursing and Allied Health at Public Health Wales before retiring in June 2023.
Colin Dennis, Chair of the Welsh Ambulance Service, said: “Congratulations to Hayley and Rhiannon on their respective appointments.
“Overseeing the work of the only all-Wales emergency service comes with a unique set of challenges, but Hayley and Rhiannon bring a wealth of experience and expertise to help us overcome these.
“I speak for the whole Board when I say we are looking forward to working with Hayley and Rhiannon as we continually look at ways to improve our service and the experience of patients in Wales.”
Hayley graduated with a first-class degree in Biomedical Sciences at Cardiff Metropolitan University and a PhD in Physiology from Cardiff University, where she was based in the Common Cold and Nasal Research Centre on a Proctor and Gamble studentship.
Hayley’s focus is mainly on research and she has more than 30 years postdoctoral research experience specialising in health services research and clinical trials.
Her research interests include patient reported outcome measures, paediatric research, chronic conditions research and the use of linked anonymised data.
She is currently leading or providing input into a range of research projects within these areas and she has published over 150 research publications to date.
She is a member of the Faculty of Medicine Health and Life Sciences REF internal committee, that assesses the quality of research publications.
She also undertakes peer review activities for a large number of national and international grant funding bodies and high impact medical journals.
Hayley said: “It is a privilege to be appointed to the Board of the Welsh Ambulance Service.
“Whilst I am in no doubt that there will be challenges ahead, I am looking forward to applying my experience and contributing to the Trust’s activities, helping it achieve its strategic objectives in what is a critical public service in Wales.”
Meanwhile, Rhiannon Beaumont-Wood is a registered nurse with 40 years’ experience starting her career in London in 1981, going on to work in the health and care sector in Wales and England.
She worked in various roles in acute, primary care, community, safeguarding, prehospital care, and public health settings, culminating in a ten-year period as the Executive Director for Quality, Nursing and Allied Health Professionals in Public Health Wales.
Following retirement from her executive role in 2023, she transitioned to a portfolio career, combining Non-Executive Director roles with Dorset Integrated Care Board and is the Registrant Council member for Wales within the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Rhiannon has previously been a Trustee for two charities one supporting victims and survivors of Domestic Abuse, and the other supporting professional leadership.
She is also a trained integrative counsellor and Meyler Campbell trained professional and senior leadership coach and has her own coaching business.
Rhiannon is passionate about the need for person/people centred approaches to the provision of public services, which are orientated towards prevention and early intervention and are striving for organisational and societal cultures which have equity and diversity at their heart.
Rhiannon said: “I am delighted to have this opportunity to serve on WAST’s Board and to support it to realise its ambitious but achievable long term plans.
“WAST is an important part of the way our health and care services are delivered and I look forward to progressing that work."
The Trust’s Board is comprised of a Chair, Vice Chair, eight Non-Executive Directors, the Chief Executive and five Executive Directors.
A further four Directors and two Trade Union partners also attend the Board.