The chief executive of West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds paid tribute to hardworking NHS staff after receiving a CBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours.
Dr Stephen Dunn, who has been at the helm of West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (WSFT) for four years, said the award was representative of the efforts of those across the NHS.
“I’m absolutely delighted to receive this recognition but I accept it on behalf of all staff working with compassion and commitment across the West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust,” he said.
“It is their effort and hard work that should really be honoured and I salute them for the outstanding care they provide to the west Suffolk community each and every day.”
Dr Dunn’s extensive experience of the NHS started with a decade of supporting and developing national policy at the Department of Health.
There he contributed to the Wanless Review, the establishment of foundation trusts, and the White Paper ‘Our health, our care, our say’, before turning his skills to a director of provider development and strategy role with NHS East of England.
In 2013, he became a national director at the Trust Development Authority, overseeing 24 NHS trusts and £8billion of healthcare spend in the south region.
He also introduced the Friends and Family test (FFT) into the NHS, which was endorsed by the then prime minister for wider roll out and remains in place across the country today as a way of getting timely feedback from patients.
Upon joining WSFT, Dr Dunn had a clear ambition and vision to deliver the best quality and safest care for the local community.
His hard work and focus has culminated in a particularly impressive year for the trust – an ‘outstanding’ rating from the Care Quality Commission in its latest inspection and the highest comparable marks in the county for employees recommending the organisation for work or care in the latest NHS staff survey.
An economist with three published works to his name, Dr Dunn, who lives in Norton, near Bury St Edmunds, holds a PhD in economics from the University of Leeds and is a visiting professor at the University of the West of England.
Dr Dunn was appointed CBE for services to health and patient safety.
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