Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (MWL) has announced the appointment of Rob Cooper as its new Chief Executive following a competitive and open recruitment process.
Rob will take over from Ann Marr OBE who in July announced her intention to retire after 22 years in the post.
He is currently the Trust’s Managing Director and will commence in his new role on 1st December 2024.
Richard Fraser, Chairman of MWL, said: “I’m pleased to announce the appointment of Rob as our Chief Executive. His unwavering focus on quality, patient care and staff experience has always shone through and I am sure that with the support of the Trust Board, the Executive team and colleagues he will build on the achievements of Ann Marr who has led the Trust with such distinction for more than 20 years.’’
Rob has always worked in health and social care and worked in a local care home while completing his nursing degree at Liverpool University in 2001.
He then went on to work in A&E, vascular surgery, and intensive care as a nurse, before joining the Trust in 2015 as Assistant Director of Operations for Medicine, progressing to become a director and then Managing Director.
Ann has served the NHS for over 40 years, starting her career as a junior clerk at the regional health authority before working her way up the ranks after qualifying as an accountant to become the Director of Finance at Aintree University Hospitals and then Chief Executive of Liverpool Women’s Hospital.
Ann was appointed Chief Executive of St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (STHK) in 2002 and was the driving force behind the building of the new Whiston and St Helens hospitals, replacing old Victorian estate with world-class healthcare facilities.
Under Ann’s leadership the organisation was recognised as one of the leading healthcare providers in the country. In 2019 STHK was rated “Outstanding’’ by the CQC and named “Trust of the Year” at the prestigious Health Service Journal Awards.
Ann’s influence was extended even further when she also took over as Chief Executive at the former Southport and Ormskirk Hospital Trust in 2021 before they joined forces with STHK and formed the Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Trust in July 2023.
On an individual level Ann has received many accolades and awards over her long career.
She was awarded an honorary fellowship of Liverpool John Moores University in 2016 and then a coveted OBE in the New Year’s Queen’s Honours List in 2019/20 for services to the NHS.