Media Release
Date: 29 May 2020
Farewell to RUH chief executive
Staff at the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust (RUH) have been thanked and praised for their work, before and during the coronavirus pandemic, by their CEO James Scott, who's retiring after near 13 years in the role.
He had planned to retire at the end of March, but stayed on to support his "fantastic staff" during COVID-19.
Mr Scott said is a staff message: "It has been an absolute privilege to be the Chief Executive here for the past 13 years. We have had some really challenging times, but we've also had some fantastic successes – and throughout all this the thing that has stood out for me more than anything else has been your dedication to our patients and to our community. I'm immensely proud of all you have achieved and all that you will achieve in the future."
Mr Scott, who'll be 60 this year and has spent 36 years in the NHS, has overseen major improvements at the RUH during his time as CEO, including the achievement of Foundation Trust status in 2014 and securing the future of the services of the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases in 2015.
Significant developments during his time at the RUH include building the Dyson Centre for Neonatal Care in 2011, the new RNHRD and Brownsword Therapies Centre in 2019 and, coming soon, the new Dyson Cancer Centre.
Tributes to Mr Scott were led by Trust Chair Alison Ryan, who said: "James's departure marks the end of an era for all of us at the Trust. He has been a dedicated and passionate CEO – it's been an absolute pleasure to work with him and every single person at the RUH wishes him a long and happy retirement and all the very best for the future."