The East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, which manages Ipswich Hospital, has announced that Paul Scott will serve as its new chief executive starting in July 2026. He will take over the permanent leadership role following the retirement of Nick Hulme, who left the service in December 2025 after a 46-year career. Adrian Marr has been acting as the interim chief executive since January 2026.
Mr. Scott currently leads the Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust. His upcoming move to the Suffolk trust follows his time overseeing a mental health organisation that is currently the subject of the Lampard Inquiry. This public investigation is examining the deaths of over 2,000 mental health inpatients in Essex between 2000 and 2023.
The appointment has drawn criticism from families impacted by the events in Essex. Melanie Leahy, whose son Matthew died while in the care of the Essex trust, has described the timing of the transition as profoundly concerning because Mr. Scott is leaving his current post before the public inquiry has reached its conclusion.
Mr. Scott, who previously worked as the executive director of finance at the Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust, will be tasked with addressing significant performance challenges at the local hospital. A recent report from the Care Quality Commission rated Ipswich Hospital as requires improvement following a 2025 inspection. The health watchdog found that patients were facing waits of up to 20 hours to be treated or admitted to wards, highlighting issues with both emergency department triage and staffing levels.
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