NHS Recruitment

NHS Recruitment

Executive, board, functional and interim recruitment for NHS Trusts and Foundation Trusts, helping boards appoint leaders who strengthen governance, improve organisational performance and deliver better outcomes for patients and communities.

How NHS leadership is changing

Leadership within the NHS now extends beyond delivering safe, effective services. Executive teams are balancing financial recovery, workforce pressures, digital transformation and rising demand while working more closely than ever with partners across health, social care and the voluntary sector. Boards are expected to provide effective challenge and long-term strategic direction in an environment where change is the norm, not the exception.

Those expectations have changed the profile of NHS leadership. Alongside chief executives and executive directors, organisations increasingly depend on leaders across finance, operations, workforce, communications, digital and transformation to improve performance and build resilient organisations. Governance has become equally important, with Chairs and Non-Executive Directors bringing oversight, challenge and specialist expertise to increasingly complex board decisions.

Successful appointments depend as much on understanding the organisation’s context as on the responsibilities of the role. Leadership experience is shaped by the complexity of the services, partnerships, governance and operating environment someone has led, not simply by their job title.

Trusted by organisations across the sector

Why NHS organisations choose Peridot

Executive search should help boards make better decisions, not simply identify people who have done the same job before. We challenge briefs constructively, helping organisations distinguish between genuinely essential experience and experience that has become familiar. That often broadens the field, creating stronger, more diverse appointments without losing sight of the realities of NHS leadership.

Our experience spans executive, board and corporate leadership across NHS Trusts and Foundation Trusts. Alongside Chief Executives, Chief Finance Officers and Chief Operating Officers, we recruit leaders across finance, operations, people, communications and wider corporate services. That breadth reflects how NHS leadership teams now operate, with organisational performance increasingly shaped by collaboration across specialist functions rather than individual executives working in isolation.

Governance is equally central to our work. We have recruited Chairs, Non-Executive Directors, Audit Committee Chairs and Finance Committee Chairs across acute, mental health and community trusts, helping boards build the breadth of expertise needed to provide effective challenge and long-term strategic oversight.

We introduce candidates to opportunities with a clear understanding of the organisation, its leadership priorities and the context surrounding the appointment. Throughout every search, we provide honest advice, thoughtful communication and a recruitment process that reflects the professionalism expected of NHS organisations.

Recruitment across the NHS

Executive Recruitment

We recruit Chief Executives, Executive Directors and senior corporate leaders responsible for organisational performance, transformation, finance, operations, workforce and strategy.

Functional Recruitment

We recruit senior leaders across finance, operations, people and culture, communications, governance, digital, estates and transformation, recognising the increasingly interconnected nature of NHS executive teams.

Interim Leadership

We recruit experienced interim executives and senior specialists who provide stability during leadership transitions, organisational change and periods requiring immediate expertise.

Board Recruitment

We recruit Chairs, Non-Executive Directors and committee members who bring governance expertise, financial oversight, clinical insight and strategic leadership to NHS boards.

Our NHS Strategic Advisers

Our Strategic Advisers bring current NHS leadership experience to executive and board searches, helping us challenge briefs, understand emerging priorities and ensure appointments reflect the realities of leading within today's NHS.

Strategic Adviser profiles:

  • Professor Mike Thomas

Selected track record

Leadership appointments

East London NHS Foundation Trust Chief Finance Officer
Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Chief Executive
NHS Providers Chief Operating Officer

Board appointments

Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Chair; Non-Executive Directors
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Chair
Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Non-Executive Directors; Chair of Finance & Sustainability Committee
North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust Non-Executive Directors
Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust Non-Executive Director; Audit Committee Chair
The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Non-Executive Directors
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Associate Non-Executive Director
Northumbria Primary Care Non-Executive Director
NHS Brighton & Hove Clinical Commissioning Group Lay Members; Associate Members

Meet the team

Marie McQuade

Marie McQuade

Director | Charities

Anish Patel

Anish Patel

Consultant | Charities

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Planning your next NHS appointment?

Whether you're appointing a chief executive, strengthening your board or recruiting senior operational or corporate leadership, we'd welcome the opportunity to discuss the challenges your organisation is facing and the leadership needed to meet them.