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Professor Derek Bell, OBE

Professor Derek Bell OBE is group chair to the board for North Tees and Hartlepool and South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trusts as part of University Hospitals Tees group model of care. Derek works closely with the group CEO and other board members on a day-to-day basis.

Derek Bell

Core roles and objectives

  • Chair University Hospitals Tees Group Board
  • Chair Council of Governors of each trust and statutory boards
  • Support the executive team
  • Ensure University Hospitals Tees delivers benefits for the population, patients and staff
  • Deliver high-quality, cost-effective services
  • Ensure we are an integral part of the wider Tees Valley and wider North East and Cumbria landscape

Background

Professor Bell is a physician by background, with over 40 years’ experience in the NHS; including service design and delivery as well as research and education. His remit has included working as an external advisor to Government in England, Scotland and Ireland, as well as internationally.

He was awarded an OBE in the 2018 New Year Honours for services to Unscheduled Care and Quality Improvement and was previously president of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (2014-2020).

Derek studied at the University of Edinburgh graduating in 1980, was appointed as the first professor of acute medicine at Imperial College London and continues to be an emeritus professor.

He has also led a number of initiatives, including the development of a new medical specialty (acute medicine) and the development of a nationally adopted clinical scoring system (NEWS) to assess acutely unwell patients.

He was elected as the inaugural president of the Society for Acute Medicine (SAM) in 2000, in 2013 he was awarded an Honorary Life Fellowship to SAM.

Professor Bell has over 220 peer reviewed publications and his research grant awards exceeded £22m.

Derek is fully committed to inspiring health and care nationally and internationally, has visited and undertakes commissioned reviews of health care systems around the world.

He continues to enjoy and showcase his talent by participating in national and international hockey and will take part in the World Masters Hockey World Cup 2024 in Cape Town, South Africa.

Body membership

  • Fellow Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh
  • Honorary Professor, University of Edinburgh, Medicine
  • Past President, Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh
  • Inaugural president of the Society for Acute Medicine (SAM) in 2000
  • Honorary Life Fellowship for Society of Acute Medicine (SAM)
  • Fellow of Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE)
  • Newcastle University Council Member

Ambitions for the group

  • Build collaborative working across the two trusts to ensure we provide the best care for the population of Tees Valley, North Yorkshire and beyond
  • Maximise our estate and footprint – improve services and hospitals by ensuring we continue to invest in our estates and infrastructure
  • Ensure we deliver on recruiting and valuing staff at scale – fostering a compassionate and inclusive workforce with career development opportunities
  • Have a robust health and social care system that is focused on reducing health inequalities and enhancing the health of our population
  • Increase visibility and impact, and lead in research and innovation in the region
  • Strive to be a UK leader in demonstrating partnership working, improving health and care for our population, across the region
  • Continue to develop community services and the populations’ access to health on their doorstep with developments such as the community diagnostic centre and the management of urgent treatment centres