Dena Marshall has been appointed as the Chief Operating Officer of Great Ormond Street Hospital

Dena comes to the Hospital with more than 20 years’ experience at executive level across the NHS. Recent roles have included Managing Director for Group Clinical Services at Barts NHS Heath Trust and Hospital Chief Executive of Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and North Manchester General Hospital. Dena joins us from Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust where she is the interim Managing Director of Southend Hospital Division. Dena has worked as a Director of Commissioning and Performance and has also chaired the UK Children’s Hospital Alliance.

Dena has a strong connection to GOSH having been treated by a GOSH surgeon as an infant and also as interim Chief Operating Officer covering a period of maternity leave.

Commenting on her appointment, Dena said: “I am very excited to be returning GOSH. It is such a privilege to work with so many fantastic teams dedicated to providing the very best specialist care to children and young people. I believe that we have a real opportunity at GOSH, working with our partners, to rise to today’s challenges and improve care for children and young people from across the UK and beyond.

I know the institution changes and saves lives – including my own – and I couldn’t think of a more fitting place to serve.”

Chief Executive Mat Shaw, said: “We are delighted Dena will be returning to our executive team. She is a compassionate leader with a wealth of experience in operational management and strategic leadership. She understands how to enable clinical and operational teams to make real differences to patients and their families. I am certain that under her leadership we will further advance towards creating world-class operational capability to match our world class outcomes.

Dena joins us at an exciting time as we review our strategy and the experience and insight she brings from multiple NHS settings will prove invaluable.”

Dena will take up position on 7 October.