Gateshead Health Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals Foundation Trust and Northumbria Healthcare Foundation Trust have appointed Sir Paul Ennals as a shared chair across all three organisations.

The appointment is part of a new collaborative working arrangement known as the Great North Healthcare Alliance, which includes North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust, and collectively cares for 1.3 million patients over 4,600 square miles. Alliance partners employ 40,000 staff and have an annual budget of around £3.4bn.

Sir Paul is currently the chair of Northumbria Healthcare and interim chair of Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals Foundation Trust.

His experience ranges from chief executive roles with successful national organisations to chairing influential multi-agency partnerships over a 25-year period.

His professional career has been spent largely within services for vulnerable children and adults, mainly based in London, particularly leading national children's organisations. This included playing a key role in steering the Government's Every Child Matters programme during the 2000s.

Sir Paul said: ‘I am excited by this new role and firmly believe that by greater collaboration, sharing ideas and coming together with a single voice we can improve the lives of our patients, communities and staff.

‘I have long believed there are huge opportunities to improve the integration of health and care services and by taking on this wider role across three areas I think we are taking a big step forward. While this work will bring us together on some key issues, it is important we understand the vital role each organisation plays locally, and that is why they will remain independent organisations in each area.'

The three foundation trust chief executives - Birju Bartoli, Trudie Davies and Rob Harrison -  said: ‘This is the start of an exciting new era of greater collaboration which will see us develop and deliver plans that will bring some real benefits to local people. We look forward to working with Sir Paul on the priorities within our own organisations while also building on the strong existing collaboration and partnerships that will have a tangible impact on the communities we serve.'

Sir Paul will take up the formal shared chair responsibilities for Newcastle and Northumbria from the start of July, and then for Gateshead once their current chair, Alison Marshall's, term ends at the end of September 2025.