Speakers

Ned graduated from the University of Nottingham with a first class degree in Pure Mathematics before joining the NHS Graduate Management Training scheme in 2008 in the West Midlands region. He completed his Masters in Health & Public Leadership from Birmingham’s HSMC in 2011 and has carried out a variety of operational management roles – predominantly in the acute hospital sector and within mental health. He also graduated from the NHS England and Ashridge Business School Aspiring Chief Operating Officer programme in 2019.

Ned’s previous role was as Director of Operations for the Division of Surgery, Women & Children at Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust where he delivered the fifth best elective 18-week Referral to Treatment waiting times in the country. He has a passion for clinical leadership, having written his dissertation on this subject, and has lectured to medical students and doctors in training on leadership in the NHS. He also has a keen interest in quality improvement and the use of comparative clinical outcome measurements to improve patient care.

Since joining Walsall Healthcare Ned has led its operational response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and delivered strong access performance with consistently upper quartile (nationally) ambulance handover and 4-hour Emergency Access Standard performance, and upper quartile Cancer 62-day Referral To Treatment and 28-day Faster Diagnosis Standard performance in 2023/24. Ned was Executive lead in securing Getting It Right First Time Elective Surgical Hub accreditation for the Trust in 2023.

In addition to his responsibilities as Chief Operating Officer, Mr Hobbs was appointed Deputy Chief Executive Officer in July 2023, and also commenced a 1-day per week secondment with the NHS England national Urgent & Emergency Care team in June 2023.