Dawn Hanwell

Role: Chief Financial Officer and Deputy Chief Executive

What I do

I lead a number of departments which include finance and contracting, information management and technology, estates and facilities, and procurement (including Thrive by Design and the North of England Commercial Procurement Collaborative).

How I contribute to improving the experience of service users and carers

The functions I oversee make a significant contribution to the work of our Trust’s frontline staff, in order to support them to focus on working directly with service users and carers. These functions contribute by:

• Looking after the finances and advising on what we can spend our resources on, including how to buy goods and services within the limits which we are set
• Dealing with our commissioners to get the best possible income settlement to provide the services we deliver
• Maintaining the estate to the best possible standard for delivering safe care and providing a good environment for staff
• Maintaining and continuously improving the technology, tools and infrastructure which support our work on a daily basis.

My experience

I was appointed to this post on 1 August 2012, having previously worked at our Trust as the Deputy Director of Finance between 2003 and 2007. My previous role was as Director of Finance and Information at Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.  I started my career in the NHS as a financial management trainee and have worked across a number of NHS organisations, mainly on the provider side but also briefly in commissioning and at the Department of Health. I have a wide range of experience mostly in finance but more recently managing estate and information.

My first degree is in Theology and Religious Studies and I qualified as an accountant with the Chartered Institute of Public Finance Accountancy (CIPFA) in 1990.

Get in touch

You can contact me by emailing dawn.hanwell@nhs.net