Anthony Marsh, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of West Midlands Ambulance Service and Daniel Elkeles, CEO of London Ambulance Service, have both been recognised for their contribution and leadership on two national ranking lists compiled by the Health Service Journal (HSJ).
Anthony Marsh, who joined the ambulance service in 1987 and is also a former Chair of the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) and the current strategic ambulance advisor to the Department of Health and NHS England, came joint 17th on a list of the most respected trust CEOs of the last decade, following an analysis of the annual HSJ Top 50 chief executives ranking.
Daniel Elkeles, who is a former CEO of Epsom and St Helier Hospitals NHS Trust and has led London Ambulance Service since August 2021 was voted third on the list of Top 50 NHS chief executives 2024, as part of HSJ’s tenth annual ranking of the pre-eminent leaders of NHS trusts.
Anna Parry, Managing Director of AACE said:
We congratulate Anthony and Daniel for being recognised on these prestigious annual ranking lists, which reflects their commitment to patient care and their dedication to improving and leading their respective ambulance services.
We are always delighted when the ambulance sector and its people are recognised in NHS rankings, which is testimony to the key role the sector plays within the wider NHS and at the frontline of care, and we very much welcome these much-deserved listings.
About the rankings – information from the HSJ
The HSJ Top 50 trust chief executives ranking was launched in 2014 and has produced ten rankings since then (there was no list in 2020). It is judged by leading health service figures, which over the years have included Sir Bruce Keogh, former medical director of NHS England, then Care Quality Commission non-executive director Sir Robert Francis, UNISON head of health Sara Gorton, NHSE national urgent and emergency care director Dame Pauline Philip, and Lord Victor Adebowale, chair of the NHS Confederation, as well as many previous top chief executives who had recently retired or moved on. The judges are asked to choose the top 50 based on three criteria: the performance of the organisation they lead, their contribution to the wider NHS, and the personal example they set. While their track record is taken into account, the judges are asked to focus on the next 12 months.
The most respected trust CEOs of the last decade – 179 CEOs in 10 years
Altogether, 179 chief executives have been included in the HSJ Top 50 lists over the last decade. Of these, 52 (29 per cent) have only appeared once, while 130 (73 per cent) have been included three or fewer times. HSJ analysed all 10 lists, awarding a CEO one point for inclusion and two points if they made the ranked cohort, giving a total maximum score of 20. The top scorer, Sir Julian Hartley, recorded a score of thirteen, and altogether, 25 CEOs achieved at least seven points. Anthony Marsh achieved eight points. Of the top 25, ten are still trust chief executives, while a further six are working in senior roles elsewhere in the service.
