Dr Séamus O’Neill, Managing Director of Liverpool Health Partners, will be stepping down in September following two and a half years in post.

Séamus has successfully led the Partnership as it reset its strategy and focus as an Academic Health Science System and championed the attention to working on a culture of collaboration and convening and advocating for life sciences across the city. He oversaw a marked increase in engagement by the Partners in LHP business and in levels of collaboration on key programmes of work. The impact of this is evidenced by the scale of the work now undertaken across Partners under the auspices of LHP and some significant wins, such as the recent NIHR CRDC award and flourishing industry collaborations.

Liverpool Health Partners Board are now seeking to recruit, from within the Partner organisations, a new interim Managing Director. The post will be hosted by University Hospitals Liverpool Group. The role offers a fantastic opportunity for someone to lead a wonderful team, work with a supportive Chair and Board, and take LHP to the next level.

Séamus said: “Leading Liverpool Health Partners has been a blast, but I know my limits. There is simply too much engagement and connecting to be done for me to do it justice three days a week remotely. Responsible succession planning and an orderly transition are a core responsibility of leadership, and I genuinely believe that the Partnership will be best served by having someone full-time in the city in this next phase.

“I have been reflecting on how far we have come and what the success factors have been in the last two and a half years. It is clear that the Partnership and the collaborative culture is in a better place than it has ever been. We are starting to see real impact; a virtuous cycle of a credible offer at scale, leading to investment, which in turn creates the opportunity to reinforce the city’s offer to external investors.

“I am profoundly grateful for the opportunity to have been Managing Director of LHP. I have been blessed with a fantastic team, made some great friends, and will miss the city hugely. But it is time to pass on the baton.”

With exciting developments in the pipeline for the city, such as the reconfiguration of the adult NHS provider organisations and the proposed Academic Health Science Campus for the Universities, the new post-holder will be given great opportunities for the development of convening and advocating life sciences across the city.

Liverpool Health Partners would like to thank Séamus for all his hard work over the last two and a half years and wish him all the best for the future!