Our Trust Board is responsible for shaping our strategy and vision, and ensuring we deliver what we want to achieve. Our Board also provides leadership to assess and monitor the organisation's culture. Trust Board members are collectively accountable for all aspects of clinical and service quality, financial performance and governance.
Our Board is made up of a chair, senior independent director, non-executive directors and executive directors, including the chief executive.
Andy has been the Chair of the Trust since March 2020. He chaired Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust until May 2023.
As our Chair, he focuses on leading the Board and fostering partnerships between health and social care services in Devon and the South West. He believes that collaboration is key to improving the community's health and wellbeing.
Andy also chairs Alliance Homes, a social housing provider in North Somerset.
Phill became Chief Executive in August 2024, after serving as Acting Chief Executive since October 2023. He has over eight years of board-level experience, previously holding roles as the Trust's Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Finance Officer.
Phill has worked in the South West since 2011 and has a proven track record of successful leadership in complex healthcare organisations and various systems. His expertise includes:
He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.
Ian Turner is a Chartered Accountant and retired as a partner from the accounting and professional services firm, KPMG in 2003. He has since worked in a number of organisations in a non-executive, executive, trustee and advisory capacity.
Between 2007 and 2017 he was a non-executive director at Weston Area Health NHS Trust, where he spent time as Chair of the Audit Committee and as Vice Chair.
He is also currently Deputy Chief Executive and Finance Director of the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) which represents Finance Professionals within the NHS.
Tanya is our Senior Independent Director. She has extensive experience in many fields, notably the care, disability and international development sectors. Tanya's former roles have included:
She is currently Chair of Affinity Trust.
Simon has been a Non-Executive Director since September 2022. He brings skills and experience in strategy, transformation and technology from a career in financial services, most recently at Nationwide Building Society.
Simon is also a Non-Executive Director of the Money and Pensions Service, a public body helping people to improve their financial wellbeing, as well as a Governor at the Arts University Bournemouth.
Miriam joined our organisation in July 2023. She has a joint role with Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust as we strive to work more closely together, with our partners, to plan and deliver services.
She has extensive NHS and local government experience within the South West, including roles in public health, primary care commissioning, and as director of adult social services. She has also chaired SHAL Housing in Somerset.
Since 2012, she has been a company director providing consultancy support to adult social care services.
Miriam is passionate about care quality and reducing health inequalities. As a family carer, she uses her experience to view health and care services from the patient and public perspective.
Paul is a qualified accountant (CIPFA) who has held senior finance and chief operating officer roles in a range of public service organisations, including local government, further and higher education and the research sector.
While at the Natural Environment Research Council, Paul was the Senior Responsible Owner of the £225m Sir David Attenborough Programme (the UK's new polar research ship). He was awarded an OBE for services to scientific research in 2021.
Paul is also a Non-Executive Director (NED) at the B&NES, Swindon & Wiltshire ICB where he is Chair of the Finance and Infrastructure Committee. He was previously a NED at Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust and Chair of its Audit and Risk Committee.
Paul's previous non-exec roles also include chairing the Avon Pension Fund Committee, membership of the British Geological Survey Board, Governor of Wiltshire College, and membership of Wiltshire County Council, Islington Council and B&NES Council.
Paul has lived in Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Hertfordshire, London and Bath. He now lives in Torbay.
Dr Bekah Eglinton is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist with over 20 years' experience in mental health, spanning both adult and child services across acute and community settings.
Bekah specialises in trauma-informed practice and is widely recognised for her work supporting organisations to improve engagement with individuals and communities affected by trauma. She previously served as Chief Psychologist and Head of Support, Safeguarding and Police Referrals at the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), and now acts as a Senior Clinical Advisor to several public inquiries and statutory bodies.
Bekah is a Registrant Council Member and Non-Executive Director at the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), where she also contributes to the Education and Training Committee. She is a member of the British Psychological Society and sits on the Committee of its Faculty of Leadership and Management. In addition, she is a Visiting Fellow at the University of Essex, contributing to research and policy development to improve engagement with victims and survivors involved in public inquiries.
Venura joined the trust in November 2023 as an Honorary Non-Executive Director, hosted as part of the GatenbySanderson insight programme. This programme helps aspiring non-executive directors from under-represented groups learn how boards in the public and not-for-profit sectors work.
Venura has experience in research, software engineering, data science and business intelligence. He is passionate about technological innovation and its benefits. Venura is also a strong advocate for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and promotes diverse organisational cultures.
Fintan joined our organisation in December 2022 from West London NHS Trust, where he was a Clinical Director for acute mental health services.
He trained in forensic psychiatry at the Maudsley and Bethlem Hospitals, before starting his consultant career at Broadmoor Hospital.
Fintan has a broad portfolio of clinical and leadership experience, having clinically worked or trained in all the psychiatric sub-specialities, as well as being active in research, medical training and delivering a range of clinical leadership roles.
Hazel is both a mental health and a learning disability nurse. Before coming to Devon she worked across Scotland and Wales with operational and professional responsibility for substantial clinical services as well as having experience in education, national roles and government.
Prior to taking up her post Hazel was interim Executive Director of Nursing at Swansea Bay University Health Board covering acute and secondary care, primary and community care, maternity, prison services, mental health and learning disability services. She has a strong interest in quality improvement, leadership development and equality, diversity and inclusion.
Liz joined the organisation in September 2022 from North Bristol NHS Trust, where she was Director of People for six years. She is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). Liz has worked in the NHS across the South of England for over 20 years, in areas such as acute care, former Strategic Health Authorities and NHS England, as well as community and mental health settings.
Liz is a qualified workplace mediator and an experienced facilitator in the NHS 360-degree feedback tool. She has a particular interest in workplace culture and behaviours and the impact of these on the success and wellbeing of organisations and their people.
Aideen joined the organisation in January 2009 as Deputy Director of Finance. She became the Director of Operational Finance in August 2021, Acting Chief Finance Officer in November 2023 and Chief Finance Officer in April 2025.
Before 2009, Aideen spent seven years working with Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation after relocating from London, where she was Treasury Manager for Genesis Housing Group.
In her operational role, Aideen is responsible for finance, procurement, healthcare contracting and estates.
Taps joined us from NHS Kent and Medway, where he was the Director of Mental Health System Collaboration, responsible for planning and commissioning mental health services. He was previously Deputy Chief Operating Officer at Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust and a Locality Director in the private sector.
Taps has held senior management roles in the private and independent care sectors, with experience in out-of-hours services, NHS 111, healthcare consultancy, primary and secondary care. He holds an MBA from Warwick Business School.
Taps is passionate about improving processes and using data and technology to enhance patient care. He believes that great services are delivered through people and working in partnership.
Laura joined the organisation in 2008 as a Project Manager in Human Resources, undertaking a variety of roles within the organisation, including Associate Director of Organisational Development and Head of Care Quality Commission (CQC) Compliance and Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion. In February 2020, she was appointed as Director of Corporate Affairs.
Since 2002, Laura has developed extensive experience across the Devon healthcare system. She has held various roles focusing on service planning, improvement, workforce development, project management, compliance and equality. She also has significant expertise in engagement, involvement and inclusion, quality and safety, and transformational change.
Sonja joined the organisation in November 2022 as Director of Strategy and Partnerships. She has over 20 years of experience in health and care in Devon. Sonja has held executive and senior leadership roles, delivering strategic change in community health and social care, commissioning, acute and mental health, learning disabilities, and neurodiversity.
With a PhD in system dynamics, Sonja is particularly interested in working across organisational boundaries and with communities to shape better outcomes for people.
In 2024, Sonja also became the Trust's Deputy Chief Executive.