London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust (LNWH) – which runs Ealing, Central Middlesex and Northwick Park hospitals – is to report to a new group chief executive next year as part of a major shake-up of NHS acute services across north-west London.
Professor Tim Orchard, currently head of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, has been appointed as the first group chief executive of the newly created North West London Acute Provider Group, which will formally launch on 1 April 2026.
The group brings together four major hospital trusts – London North West, Imperial College Healthcare, Chelsea and Westminster, and The Hillingdon Hospitals – under a single leadership framework.
At LNWH, chief executive Pippa Nightingale MBE will continue to lead the trust day to day but will report directly to Professor Orchard once the new structure comes into effect.
The trusts will remain separate organisations but will share a common board chair, Matthew Swindells, while Professor Orchard becomes the overall accountable officer.
NHS leaders say the new group model aims to simplify decision-making, strengthen collaboration and help tackle mounting performance and financial pressures across the capital’s hospitals.
Professor Orchard, who has led Imperial since 2018 and continues to practise as a consultant gastroenterologist, said the focus would be on improving care and supporting staff rather than imposing immediate structural change.
He commented: “Our hospitals have different but equally important roles. The group model has to provide more opportunities for staff to flourish and make it easier for us to draw on our collective skills and ideas.”
Mr Swindells described the appointment as “an important milestone” in improving coordination across the trusts and praised Mr Orchard’s record.
He said: “Tim brings a deep commitment to, and understanding of, health and care, research and innovation and, most importantly, our patients, partners, local communities and staff. The leadership he will be able to provide in his new role will bring an additional boost to the whole group and I’m looking forward to continuing to work closely with him and all our trust chief executives to enable all four trusts to reach their full potential.”
Dame Caroline Clarke, the NHS regional director for London, added that Professor Orchard’s leadership would be key to addressing current pressures and driving innovation.
In an FAQ accompanying the announcement, the North West London Acute Providers advised that the move will not lead to hospital closures or mergers, though they did reveal a merger was considered.
The FAQ said: “All 12 hospitals in the collaborative will continue to play a crucial role in the north-west London healthcare system and beyond. A formal merger of the four trusts was considered but it was determined, certainly at this point, that it would be too time- and resource-consuming and a distraction from our shared mission to provide outstanding care. We will therefore remain as four separate statutory organisations.”
They also confirmed that the chief executives of all four trusts will continue to act as accountable officers until 1 April 2026. During this period, Professor Orchard will spend time engaging with the other chief executives, the board in common, staff, governors and external stakeholders “to determine how the organisations can best work together and ensure a smooth transition from collaborative to group”.
The North West London Acute Provider Group added that plans and details of governance and leadership changes will be shared over the coming months.
