Humber Health Partnership has announced the appointment of Alan Downey as its new substantive Chair, strengthening leadership as the organisation moves into the next phase of stabilisation and improvement.
NHS England has approved the appointment, and Alan will take up the role on 1 April 2026. He will serve as joint Chair of Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (HUTH) and Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust (NLaG), which together form Humber Health Partnership. In accordance with NHS foundation trust requirements, the appointment has also been approved by the NLaG Council of Governors.
The appointment comes as the Partnership continues work on a clinically led Improvement Plan designed to address longstanding pressures which have developed over a number of years.
In the summer, NHS England asked Lyn Simpson to step in as interim Chief Executive following growing concerns about the scale and long-standing nature of these pressures.
Since her arrival, the organisation has focused on surfacing these challenges openly by listening directly to clinicians and frontline teams and capturing the breadth and scale of the issues in one place for the first time through the Improvement Plan.
The organisation is now working with the NHS Provider Improvement Programme, and national oversight has now aligned with the reality staff and clinicians have been managing for several years, providing a clearer framework to support improvement.
In his new role as substantive chair, Alan Downey brings extensive experience of leadership and governance across the NHS and wider public sector.
He has previously served as Chair of York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Chair of South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, where he led boards through periods of significant improvement and transformation with a focus on patient safety and service quality.
In addition to his NHS roles, Alan has chaired a mental health partnership board for Surrey County Council and served as a trustee and chair of several charities. Earlier in his career he spent eight years in the civil service before joining professional services firm KPMG, where he went on to lead the firm’s public sector practice, advising government departments, universities, police forces, NHS trusts and local authorities.
Alan Downey, incoming Chair of Humber Health Partnership, said: “It is a privilege to be appointed as Chair of Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust. I know that the Humber Health Partnership faces significant challenges, but I am encouraged by the honesty with which those challenges are now being addressed.
“My focus will be on ensuring strong governance, clear leadership and close partnership with clinicians and colleagues as we continue to stabilise the organisation and improve the quality and safety of care for patients.”
Lyn Simpson, Interim Chief Executive, said: “I am delighted to welcome Alan to the Partnership. His experience as an NHS chair and his track record of supporting organisations through periods of improvement will be invaluable as we continue the stabilisation work now underway. Having a substantive chair in place is an important step in strengthening our leadership and governance as we move forward with the Improvement Plan and the strengthening of hospital leadership arrangements.
“I would also like to thank Murray Macdonald for stepping into the interim Chair role over recent months. His leadership has helped support the organisation through an important period of transition.”