Congratulations to Andy Weir on his secondment

Please find a message from our Chief Financial Officer and Deputy Chief Executive, Dawn Hanwell.

Hello,

I’m writing on behalf of everyone at Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust to say a huge well done to Andy Weir, Deputy Chief Operating Officer, who from today (7 January), is taking a short break from the Trust to carry out a 12-month secondment as Director of Mental Health for the health and care system in Jersey.

Although this isn’t a goodbye we still want to take this opportunity to say a massive thank you to Andy for the considerable contributions he has made throughout his time with us. Joining us in April 2014 as Associate Director for Specialist and Learning Disability Services, he’s played a pivotal role at the Trust over the last eight years. Andy immediately had a huge impact on service delivery, quality and development and introduced a number of new initiatives that, to this day, have hugely benefited our patients, colleagues and the organisation.

Andy has worked with many of our colleagues and also with people across the healthcare sector in Leeds and the wider region as a whole. He’s been a highly effective and valued system leader across our integrated care systems and provider collaboratives (PCs), working as Senior Responsible Owner for the Eating Disorders PC, the Complex Rehabilitation workstream and the Learning Disability Assessment and Treatment Unit (ATU) regional arrangements.

Since 2018, Andy became Deputy Chief Operating Officer, playing an instrumental part in all service lines working more effectively and coherently together and leading some really challenging operational situations, especially in the last two years of the pandemic, for which we are immensely grateful.

Andy inspires, motivates and encourages the people around him every day. He has a famous ‘no nonsense’ approach but balances this with a ready wit, a lot of laughter and shows a huge amount of professional and personal support to our heads of services when times have been tough throughout the COVID pandemic.

He is truly valued and appreciated for his work and achievements. We wish Andy all the best in his new role over the next 12 months and look forward to his return to LYPFT!

I also want to let you know that as a result of Andy’s absence from the Trust, interim arrangements have now been made. Mark Dodd, our Head of Operations for Regional Eating Disorders, Rehabilitation and Gender Services, will be providing cover and taking the role of Interim Deputy Director for Service Delivery from Monday 10 January during Andy’s secondment.

Please join us by welcoming Mark into his new position.

I hope you all have a happy and healthy 2022 and let’s be ready for what the year brings!