Bev Fitzsimons appointed as chief executive of Point of Care Foundation
22 December 2020
The Board of the Point of Care Foundation is delighted to announce that Bev Fitzsimons has been appointed as the chief executive of the Foundation.
Bev has been acting chief executive since the departure of Jocelyn Cornwell, the founder of the Foundation, earlier this year. She brings a wealth of experience and commitment to the Foundation’s values.
During 2020 Bev has led the Point of Care team to find new ways to continue the existing programmes of the Foundation, such as the Schwartz Rounds, but also to develop new programmes for health and care staff, including Team Time. This online programme has enabled health and care staff to reflect on their practice and share experiences in these difficult times. NHS England and Improvement has supported the programme for 30 trusts most affected by the pandemic, and an evaluation has shown Team Time’s value.
Bev will take up her post immediately.
Richard Smith, chair of the board, said: “I’ve been enormously impressed by how Bev has risen to the challenge of taking over as acting chief executive at a difficult time, and I have every confidence that she will lead Point of Care Foundation into the next stage of its mission to humanise health and social care.”
Sir Robert Francis, chair of Healthwatch England, chair the Independent Inquiry into the care provided by the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, and a member of the board of the Point of Care Foundation, said: “The Point of Care Foundation has been the leader in humanising care, and Bev will develop this important work still further for the benefit of both patients and staff.”
Bev Fitzsimons said: “Jocelyn Cornwell did an outstanding job in establishing the Foundation as the leading organisation in Britain working to humanise health and social care. Taking over from Jocelyn was always going to be a hard act to follow, and the pandemic has presented major challenges this year, as it has to all organisations. We’ve worked hard together to overcome these challenges and I’m delighted to be leading the team into the next chapter for the Foundation.”