University Hospital Southampton announces appointment of new chief executive officer

University Hospital Southampton is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Trevor Smith as chief executive officer (CEO).

Trevor will take up the role in the autumn from current CEO David French who, earlier this year, announced his decision to step down. Trevor will be a familiar face to UHS where he previously held a number of leadership roles before becoming regional medical director for NHSE South West.

As a prominent gastroenterologist at UHS since 2010, he also developed the regional intestinal failure service, gaining national and international recognition for his work.

Trevor went on to hold the role of deputy chief medical officer at UHS, and was responsible for urgent and emergency care, the interface between primary and secondary care, and population health amongst a number of clinical leader roles across several specialties.

In 2025 he left his leadership role at the Trust to take up the post of regional medical director at NHSE South West where he held a wide portfolio, including responsibility for clinical quality and improvement, digital transformation, professional standards, and clinical oversight of urgent and emergency care and specialist services.

He has now been appointed as CEO at UHS, following a competitive recruitment and selection process led by Trust chair Jenni Douglas-Todd. She said: “Trevor will be familiar to many at UHS, and we are delighted to be welcoming him into the role of chief executive officer.

“Throughout the recruitment process, we were consistently impressed by his clear vision aligned to our values, and a leadership style grounded in compassion, insight and ambition.

“With a strong focus on patients, staff and inclusive partnership working, Trevor also brings proven experience of leading service transformation and a shared drive to make the changes needed to deliver outstanding healthcare for the future.

“The Trust Board is looking forward to working with him, alongside an experienced and dedicated executive team, leading our 13,000 strong staff in delivering our collective ambitions together.”

Trevor said: “I am incredibly honoured to have been given the role of leading an organisation that has taught me so much about what outstanding patient care looks like, and the environment needed to enable our people to deliver it.

“For me UHS has always been a place of innovation and opportunity and those are the things that excite me as I look to the future, leading UHS through its next chapter.

“With the support of the talented teams around me, and by working with our partners across the regional and national systems, I am confident we will be able to fulfil our ambitions; to treat our patients where and when they need us, facing our challenges by working together and embracing the changes needed to deliver healthcare we can all be proud of.”