A new relationship

Evelyn Asante-Mensah

I remember getting the job at Pennine Care so clearly. 

It was five years ago, but the feelings
of elation and excitement, along with a healthy dollop of anxious trepidation, will always stay with me. I felt a huge weight of responsibility and expectation on my shoulders, but also excitement
at landing such a privileged role. The passion to add value and make a difference burned brightly. I’d always had a big interest in mental health and learning disability services, and I was in awe of the work that you did.

If I were to use the analogy of a new relationship; I went from admiring you from afar, to the exhilaration of the first dates, then getting to know you and all your wonderful traits, followed by the growth of understanding, respect and love. Yes, there have been some bumps along the way and it’s not all been plain sailing, but that has only strengthened my commitment. Perfect doesn’t exist and who wants that anyway.

And sitting alongside me throughout this time has been Claire Molloy, our chief executive.

The job of the chair is multifaceted, but the one element in every successful chair is an effective relationship with their chief exec. It must be based on mutual respect and trust. The demands on the chief exec are extraordinary and I can hopefully make life less lonely at the top for them by acting as a sounding board, mentor and advocate.

That’s why this role is so important to me, but not just to me of course; to you, the board, our partners and the people we serve.

We’ve been so fortunate to have Claire lead us these last five years (it’s estimated that the average chief exec lasts only around three years, so how great that we got an extra two). Claire has transformed and improved so much in so many different ways, and will soon be handing the baton over to Anthony Hassall.

Anthony Hassall
our incoming chief executive

Most of you won’t yet know him, but our new chief exec Anthony Hassall is a ‘known quantity’ to me, as I have worked with him in my role as chair of the North West Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Assembly since the beginning of the covid pandemic. His equality, diversity and inclusion work has been tremendous, hugely influential and something he’s totally committed to. 

Anthony is known and admired for his strong integrity, alongside positive team building skills and collaborative approach. Our values will never change and that’s why we placed a huge emphasis on values-based leadership throughout the whole recruitment process.  It’s something I’ll never be prepared to compromise on.

Anthony will also bring something else, which I think we help us immensely; an important final jigsaw piece that we were perhaps missing. He has a regional and national presence in the NHS and social care system, and impressive networks, which will really add value.

Our direction of travel will stay the same, but we can’t underestimate the benefits of the great work we are doing being seen in the system. We need that external understanding and recognition.

I know Anthony wants to spend time getting to you know you when he joins, and importantly let you get to know him. We’re really lucky that he’s able to join us at the start of April, when Claire retires as chief exec, so we can have a seamless handover.

Anthony knows, especially through his current role as chief people officer for NHS England North West, that almost everything in leadership comes back to people and relationships. He’ll no doubt have many of the same ‘start of a relationship’ feelings as I did five years ago. But wow, what an exceptional and awe-inspiring group of people to be starting it with.

Best wishes

Evelyn