LONDON — The London Ambulance Service announced Wednesday that executive chief Dr. Fionna Moore will retire from her position at the end of the year.
Dr. Moore, 67, plans to ease her way into retirement by spending three days a week doing clinical shifts with the service and in emergency medicine.
“I took on the chief executive role intending to do it for two years, to stabilize the Service at what was a challenging time,” Dr. Moore said. “I always wanted time at the end of my career to step back from management responsibilities and focus on my first passion, the clinical care of patients.”
Dr. Moore has worked for the London Ambulance Service for over 40 years, where she was medical director for 18 years and chief executive for two.
Dr. Moore was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s birthday honors in 2013 for services to the NHS and the emergency services.
“Her leadership has helped steer the service through a challenging period and in the last two years she has overseen one of the biggest recruitment drives in NHS history, the development of the advanced paramedic practitioners programme, an improved fleet and focused on the personal development and recognition for everyone who works for the Service,” NHS Chairman Heather Lawrence said.
As medical director, Dr. Moore led a transformation in patient care, from a doubling of cardiac arrest survival rates in just four years, to the service being at the center of the development of specialist stroke, trauma and heart attack centers – and she was appointed London’s first Trauma Director in 2009.
“We have seen a 63 percent reduction in mortality from trauma in London and where we led the way, the rest of the country has followed,” Dr. Moore said.
NHS Improvement London regional director Steve Russell paid tribute to Dr. Moore and thanked her for the “professional dedication and personal commitment” she has made to the London Ambulance Service over the past 20 years.
“For two decades, Dr Moore has devoted herself to London Ambulance Service, first as a clinician and most recently as chief executive. Her willingness to step into the chief executive role at a time of significant challenge for the organization demonstrates her commitment to the Service,” Russell said.
“It’s been a huge privilege to work alongside so many dedicated, committed and wonderful people for so many years. I am immensely proud of the work everyone at the Service does and the progress we have made to improve our care to patients over the last 20 years,” Dr. Moore said.
The board and NHS Improvement will now seek to appoint a new permanent chief executive for the Service. In the meantime, Andrew Grimshaw, Director of Finance, will act as interim Chief Executive.