February 2025- Following a rigorous and competitive recruitment process, East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust has announced the appointment of Jayne Black as its new Chief Executive.

Black will assume the role from Steve Aumayer, who has served as Acting Chief Executive since November 2024, following the departure of Joe Chadwick-Bell. Aumayer will return to his previous position as Deputy Chief Executive and Chief People Officer once Black takes up her new post.

Currently serving as Chief Executive at Medway NHS Foundation Trust in Gillingham, Kent, Black brings more than three decades of experience in the health sector. A nurse by background, she has held several senior leadership roles, including Chief Operating Officer at University Hospitals Sussex Foundation Trust and Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Chief Executive at Croydon Health Services NHS Trust. Her career also includes roles as Director of Strategy and Transformation at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust and West Kent Clinical Commissioning Group.

Steve Phoenix, Chairman of East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, expressed his enthusiasm about the appointment. “I’m delighted to announce the appointment of Jayne as our new Chief Executive. We are an organisation that she knows well, and I am really looking forward to working with her,” Phoenix said. “Jayne brings a wealth of experience from her previous leadership positions across operations and transformation within London, Kent, and Sussex, spanning acute and community service provision and strategic commissioning. I’m confident that with the support of the Trust Board, the Executive Team, and colleagues, she will build on our achievements and strengthen our delivery of high-quality healthcare for residents across Sussex.”

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Commenting on her appointment, Black said, “As an East Sussex resident, I’m really pleased to be joining my local trust, where I gained some of my early management experience. It is a huge privilege to return as its Chief Executive, and I am eager to lead the trust into its next phase of development. The pressures across the NHS are well-known, and ESHT is no exception. My priority will be to focus on delivering affordable, high-quality care to patients within the context of this significantly challenging environment.”